A Smaller, More Honest Soul
by GMaster1991
Summary: Ever since Ruby's display of her powers at the Fall of Beacon, she'd been hunted by malevolent forces. What does Salem want with her? Why does she wish to take Ruby alive? These are the events that led to the creation of the Reaper, the ultimate Grimm, and the consequences that even Salem herself hadn't foreseen. Due to popular demand, this one-shot was expanded upon.
1. A Smaller, More Honest Soul

For an uncountable number of years, Salem had kept a close watch on the Silver-Eyed Warriors and their ability to destroy the soulless creatures of Grimm with a single glance, so she did what she normally does with her enemies.

"Never underestimate the usefulness of others."

Rather than have this incredible power eliminated altogether, she thought of how to turn it to her side. One such idea was...Grimm corruption. It seemed fitting to her. The gift of the God of Light, turned into something vile; a petty insult to the gods that made her immortal. Like any new concept, this one started on the alpha stage. Salem had many Silver-Eyed Warriors abducted to use for her vile experiments.

Her first attempt was to simply have one of these warriors dunked in a Pool of Destruction. Salem herself had been made immortal by the Fountain of Life; one of the God of Light's creations, so she survived falling in the Pool of Destruction. There was a certain logic to doing the same to someone blessed by the same god. However, the result was a failure. The Silver-Eyed Warrior simply died from contact with the pool, and left Salem with nothing. A waste, but one step closer, nonetheless...

The second attempt was to rip out a Silver-Eyed Warrior's soul with magic and encase it within the shapeless body of a Grimm in its preconception stage. Again, this went nowhere. The Grimm body's negativity rejected the pure soul's positivity and released it to its proper place in death. The power of the Silver-Eyes is one and the same with the soul; the Warrior's body was useless without it.

The third attempt involved copying the Warrior's soul to circumvent this issue. Salem would then rewrite this copied soul as she saw fit and put that within a shapeless Grimm's body. This, however, had its own complications. For one, Salem couldn't leave even a single spark of light in the copied soul, lest a similar result from the last attempt occurs. Secondly, as careful and intelligent as Salem was, she was not omniscient. She couldn't know absolutely every aspect of a person's soul without knowing how a person lived and perceived the world. Sure enough, a few sparks slipped through the cracks; the soul was rejected. Another failure...

Ever since Ruby displayed her power at the Fall of Beacon for the first time, Salem had her eye on her. She commanded Tyrian to abduct her alive; a dead Ruby would be useless. The abduction failed, of course, with the timely intervention of Qrow Branwen, but Salem was far from done. She concocted more schemes to claim Ruby. The attacks on the other academies were among such schemes, as Silver-Eyed Warriors were naturally drawn to the suffering of others. Ironic, as this made them similar to the Grimm to a certain extent.

It didn't really matter how many times these schemes failed. Losing hired hands meant little to Salem; there were always more she could use. She only had to succeed once, and she had all the time in the world. Finally, after years of this ceaseless struggle, it was done. Ruby was taken alive; Salem had everything she needed for her fourth attempt.

This time, she would make sure her light was snuffed out before the copy is made. Salem had vile Grimm tentacles dig deep into Ruby's subconscious through her brain. She would force Ruby to relive the worst parts of her life, over and over, until her mind and spirit were broken from the emotional torture. Only then, would Salem copy her soul into the Grimm's body. The experiment appeared successful; at least, the Grimm didn't reject the anguished and painful feelings. It took form in one similar to the original, but with eyes as red as blood and skin as white as a Grimm's face.

Salem's reason for doing all of this? It wasn't to use the copy to oppose the original Ruby, or any Silver-Eyed Warrior for that matter. She had already abducted several of them; they were clearly no match for her in a straight-forward fight, and Salem herself could always waltz in Remnant and handle things if the need arose. Her immortality and knowledge of magic made her a god among mortals, after all. That wasn't the point. That wouldn't get her what she wanted: Ozma.

The immortal wizard and former lover she struggled with since time immemorial, Ozma, is just as immortal as she is, in his own way. No matter the method, each death would only force Ozma to inherit a different identity. As petty and twisted as Salem is, even she could recognize the futility of a direct battle under these circumstances.

Enter the Reaper; the ultimate Grimm and Salem's magnum opus. A single Grimm with a body physically reinforced with the anger, sorrow, and suffering of countless people over centuries of evil and blessed with magical wards that would turn away any Semblance used against it. Most importantly, this was the first Grimm to possess a soul, and with it, a perverted form of Aura.

The Infernal Aura; a destructive force that stands in contrast to the protective Aura of living things. Rather than directly shield the Reaper from attacks, the Infernal Aura is used as a source of power. First, it allows the Reaper to draw strength from the suffering of others; every death by its hands would mend what little damage others could inflict upon it. Like any Grimm, the Reaper can also sense the negativity of others even miles away and use that to mend itself, if necessary.

Second, the very influence of the Infernal Aura is similar to the Apathy; those around the Reaper are subjected to feelings contrary to their own. The difference is that instead of weakness and lethargy, those around the Reaper feel a deep hatred and anger within their hearts. Those that remain near the Reaper for too long ultimately succumb to such hatred and turn on those they love and care for. A foolproof way to force humanity to turn on one another, even in the event of the Reaper somehow being detained.

Third, the very air around the Reaper would combust when it ran or moved quickly, thereby unleashing destruction to the world around it. These flames are dark, unnatural, and hellish; very different from a Flame Dust Crystal. It also carries a unique property; it completely bypasses a living thing's Aura, allowing the Reaper to attack its victim's flesh at any stage in a fight. The scythe is an extension of itself, and reinforced by these flames to allow a quick bisection or beheading.

The fourth and final ability is the most important one and the very reason that she created the Reaper: the Eyes of Destruction. Just as the power of the Silver-Eyed Warriors could kill the soulless creatures of Grimm with a glance, the power of the Reaper could inversely burn the very soul of its victims, circumventing any reincarnation attempts and killing that person once and for all.

With all of these traits, the Reaper would be an unstoppable scourge against any Huntsman or Huntress that mustered up the courage to face it, Ozma and his incarnations included.

Except...it wasn't.

Salem used the anguish and sadness of Ruby's soul very well; too well, in fact. Not only did the Reaper possess Ruby's negative feelings, it also possessed her personality, her memories, and...her moral sense of right and wrong. From the moment the Reaper first stepped from the Pool of Destruction and saw the original Ruby comatose and in extreme pain, the Reaper felt its own pain and connected with the fallen Huntress; to see an innocent like this was...wrong. The Reaper felt for Ruby and every single person whose anguish gave it form.

It looked upon its razor sharp fingers and blackened knees; a far cry from the gentle hands and normal knees it remembered. Looking upon its creator with boiling rage, the Reaper turned its destructive force toward the one responsible for so much pain.

The clash between immortal witch and unstoppable Grimm echoed throughout Salem's castle. No matter how many of its creator's limbs the Reaper would dismember, Salem's curse would restore her body; no matter how many spells Salem used to strike her creation down, the inherent negativity of the surrounding lands and Grimm would sustain the Reaper.

The conflict would go on until the entire castle was engulfed in the flames of Destruction. Clawing its way through the flaming debris, the Reaper sliced Salem's arm off yet again. With its red gaze upon the immortal witch, the Reaper unleashed the power of Destruction upon her.

Salem's soul did not burn; the essence of Grimm that coated her flesh protected her, but the curse of light that sustained her for so long...weakened. The severed arm that regenerated had the index fingertip and thumb reduced to bone.

And from this moment, the Reaper felt a new emotion come from Salem; one that none have seen from her since ancient times. It was fear. The Grimm that surrounded the ruined castle charged to defend their master, but fell namelessly with bathos, one by one. Every Beowulf with its jaw torn off, every Beringel with its skull caved in, every Sphinx sliced in half, every Seer with its orb crushed under the Reaper's heel; they would only renew it and fuel its power.

Salem, and the followers that evacuated from the castle, could only flee from the unstoppable monster she'd created. Did the Brothers of Light and Darkness have a hand in this? Have they watched her all this time and waited until now to cause her grief? She cursed her creation. She cursed the universe. She cursed everything, everything but herself.

The truth was one that Salem could never understand. Ruby's heart wasn't easily swayed. It was that simple. And why should she understand? Salem had manipulated thousands of humans and Faunus that had deemed themselves "righteous". Why should Ozma's "smaller honest soul" be different? But it was.

The Reaper's sense of self may have manifested by the negativity in Ruby's soul, but...it was still Ruby Rose. Deep in its subconscious, the ultimate Grimm was still the embodiment of purity that Blake spoke of. It was for this reason that the Reaper didn't pursue Salem; for the innocent Ruby was still trapped in the ruins of Salem's castle, rendered comatose and helpless from the cruel ritual.

Ruby's copied personality, of course, compelled the Reaper to put this innocent soul's life before its innate desire for destruction. It carried her away to safety; its impulses forcefully locked away, never to be released upon the innocent. Without looking back, the Reaper walked toward the pool that leads to Remnant with Ruby in its arms as the castle behind it burned to ashes.


	2. Red Like Roses

With the comatose Ruby in its arms, the Reaper stood before an ankle-high pool that led to Remnant and gazed upon their reflections. One was pure and innocent with desperate tears of heartbreak fresh down her face; a side effect of the torture she endured deep in her mind. Her face, once contorted into a ball of misery, had only relaxed after the Reaper freed her from Salem's Tartarus Grimm. Beneath the unhappy surface, it is possible that Ruby felt peace in her heart. At the very least, the emotional pain she endured must have been alleviated to some extent.

The other was the exact opposite; on the outside, there were no tears, fear, or anger. It looked human, but its facial expression showed no emotion. Everything about its appearance, from its jagged fangs to its blood-red eyes was designed to bring forth feelings of terror. Designed…that was the right word. That's what it was. Deep in its black heart, it knew it was a fake. The Reaper knew its memories weren't its own; that they've always have belonged to Ruby, but it all felt too real to just be let go. The time spent at Beacon before it fell, the journey to Mistral and eventually Atlas, the pain of watching beloved friends die, and the constant pressure of leading at such a young age; it remembered it all, but it was Ruby's life. That simple truth, more than anything else, left a deep self-loathing in its heart.

The Reaper looked down at Ruby's face; she looked so vulnerable now. Out of impulse, it traced its thumbnail over her face to brush a lock of her hair off of it, only to leave a bloody graze across her skull. Ruby let out a weak cry; the face of anguish had returned. The Reaper's mouth went agape with guilt; the memories it had accounted for soft fingers that could barely harm a butterfly without a scythe, not razor-sharp claws that could rend flesh with a gesture. This was like a sick joke; a vile curse that robbed her of her life and forced her to bring pain to those around it. Only there was no curse; the original Ruby was in its arms. No gods commanded it to "learn the importance of life and death." No gods gave this "transformation" any kind of escape clause. Even Salem, for all her cruelty and pettiness, had a way out of her curse, if only she would take responsibility for her mistakes. For the Reaper, there was no hope.

With a resigned grimace, the Reaper took its first step into the pool. They would leave this vile place behind and…

"No, no, no, no, no. This is wrong. What you're doing is wrong! ALL WRONG!"

The Reaper heard a frantic man yell at her from behind; Tyrian Callows, one of Salem's servants. It stopped in its tracks, but it didn't turn around to look him in the eyes. He got down on his knees and exuded a negativity that suggested a growing desperation. He made one wild gesture after another as if he was giving a stage performance.

"You have upset Her Grace. You have upset the Queen! With each passing moment, you stray from your chosen path and the glorious destiny that awaits us all!" Tyrian pleaded.

Faint memories of the time Team RNJR fought this man lingered in the Reaper's mind. Ruby first crossed blades with this man at Higanbana…and nearly lost her uncle Qrow to his poisonous stinger. What he was doing here and now, after her "goddess" fled the castle that the Reaper left in flames; it didn't entirely know, but one thing was certain, and the original Ruby would surely agree. This guy is weird.

And so, the Reaper offered all of the respect that this weird sadistic man was worth; none. With a deadpan expression, it shook its head, pointed at said head with its index finger, and twirled said finger in a circular motion to eloquently convey just how accurately the Reaper simply. Does. Not. Give. A. Shit. It walked across the pool; the gateway back to Remnant was only a dozen steps or so away.

"Don't ignore meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Tyrian yelled hysterically.

The Reaper ignored him. It didn't care what he had to say. At all. Despite that obvious fact, the crazed Faunus wouldn't relent and tailed behind it.

"You're confused, conflicted; you truly believe you are Ruby Rose! But you are not…you cannot be. The truth lies in front of you!" Tyrian pleaded.

He wasn't lying. The Reaper didn't delude itself; it just didn't care. He quickly ran in front of it and made more wild gestures.

"You are the Queen's greatest creation. A testament to the follies of the two false gods! You know deep in your heart! You belong to our goddess, now and forever!"

The Reaper bared its teeth in anger; bestial growls escaped its lips. If an innocent person's life didn't matter so much, it might consider grabbing this demented man by the throat just for saying that.

"All hope is not lost! Return to us! She will forgive you! I swear it! You're the one…the only one that can end the cycle. It was the Queen's wisdom that gave you power and purpose. Follow your path. Embrace the pain and violence. This is Her gift to you. Fulfill your duty to your divine sav—"

Tyrian's incessant rambling was cut off by the Reaper's hand over his face. Imbued by the Infernal Aura, the Reaper's claws dug into Tyrian's face, bypassing any Aura that would normally protect him. It pushed him down into the pool and walked on top of him; its foot crushing his face as it left him behind.

And still, he would not relent. His loyalty to his "goddess" is unwavering; the Reaper supposed he deserves that much praise. He rose from the pool with fierce hatred and tears of betrayal in his eyes. The pincer-shaped blades attached to his bracers extended and he charged toward the Reaper in a fit of insanity.

"You bitch!" Tyrian yelled.

The scorpion Faunus quickly leaped on top of the Reaper like an animal; its metal stinger wrapped around the Reaper's torso. It stood unfazed by the assault and actively restrained itself not to outright murder this man. That is, until he carved a huge gash across Ruby's leg with his weapon. The Reaper's calm antipathy faded immediately. It grabbed the demented man by the throat and lifted him off the ground with one hand. Tyrian stuck his tongue out in twisted glee and sank his blades around the Reaper's throat, in turn.

With his other hand, he thrust his other pair of blades into the Reaper's face…only for the blades to shatter upon impact, leaving only a minor cut on its face. A loud clang echoed in both sets of ears; a stark difference from the flesh and fur Beowolves Tyrian murdered on a whim. The Reaper glared squarely in his eyes. Its other hand reached one of the blades across its throat, snapped it apart like it was little more than a pencil, and dropped it in the pool. And then, the Reaper felt his fear. Its skin fed off of it and healed the scratch on its face just as quickly as it was delivered. The sight of such recovery only caused more fear from him.

The Reaper's already blood-red eyes glowed with an all-consuming hate. Within seconds, a red light came from its eyes and engulfed the unfortunate Faunus. His anguished screams grew quieter and his body withered like a raisin. The pupils in his eyes faded; his eyes were completely white. The Reaper pried the stinger off its body and tossed it aside. It sank its claws into the back of his skull and slammed it into the ground beneath the pool. The impact was so great that his head burst into a bloody paste. Finally, the Reaper tossed the rest of the body away like pointless trash.

It took a moment to collect itself after what just happened. The memories it possessed was not one of a cold-blooded killer, yet the Reaper did just that. More self-loathing entered its heart; it felt so wrong to do such a thing to a person. Its attention then turned to Ruby, who still hadn't woken from her torture-induced coma. The Reaper traced its finger over Ruby's cloak and cut a long strip out. It wrapped the strip around Ruby's leg to use it like a makeshift bandage and picked her up.

The Reaper took one last look at her fallen victim. Was he truly demented or only deceived by Salem? The original Ruby never knew this man beyond his cruel actions, and neither did the Reaper. No matter what the circumstances were, murder felt horrible. Necessary? Possibly, but it was still horrible. Putting this ordeal behind it, the Reaper walked across the pool with Ruby in tow.

_Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest._

Fresh blood spread across the pool and followed the Reaper as it walked.

_White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test._

The gateway between worlds slowly opened; cold air and fresh snow was visible on the other side.

_Black the beast descends from shadows._

Grimm came from all sides, attracted to the agony left behind by the dead Faunus.

_Yellow beauty burns gold._

Sunlight shined from the gateway upon the Reaper's face.

The Grimm approached the Reaper from behind with unusual hatred; one that would only be given to a traitor to their kind. Sensing their presence, the Reaper turned around. This action alone caused the Grimm to stop dead in their tracks. A long wordless standoff occurred between the Grimm and this heretic. Neither side would budge until the Reaper glared at the Grimm with narrow eyes and a silent warning that conveyed the following statement: Look upon your creator's servant and ask what chance you have that you'll leave here alive. After a few seconds, the Grimm understood the statement, turned their gazes away, and slowly walked away.

Setting foot into the world of Remnant for the first time, the Reaper could sense the familiar sensation that settled in its heart from the outside. Was it anger, sadness, or something else; possibly another Grimm? Whatever it was, it was negative, and it felt enticing enough to instinctually follow. It was a reminder, not of its cursed fate, but of the misery that others felt in this world. Surely the pain of others mattered as much to the Reaper as its own pain, if not more so. It couldn't help it. It couldn't just stand aside and let things happen as they do. The memories of such moments…of being powerless to help while others were hurt was…abhorrent. This was the choice it had to make. Whatever loathing the Reaper felt over its own circumstances wasn't important in the grand scheme of things. Its suffering wasn't important. The entire world was on the brink of despair from the actions of the Reaper's own creator. It needed hope; it needed that spark. It needed…Ruby. That's what mattered.

The Reaper wandered aimlessly across the frozen landscape for hours with Ruby in its arms, ignoring the urges that directed her toward any other Grimm. By some miracle, the young Huntress finally woke from her coma; her silver eyes met the Reaper's red eyes. It set her down on the ground when it felt the fear come from her heart. From the Reaper's lips came a young girl's voice, similar to the original Ruby's, only with a distorted and lower pitch.

"I know you're worried, Ruby, but trust me. I won't leave your side for a second! I promise."

The fear in her heart subsided in an instant. Her face still displayed justified confusion, but the Reaper offered a sincere smile.

There was no hope for the Reaper. It would fight the endless tide of negativity that would surely follow in the days to come, both from outside and within. It may never be trusted by the light or the darkness, and may suffer an ignoble end, but if doing so could bring hope to others, then that was the choice it would make. It was the only choice it had.


	3. Incorruptible

In the heart of the snow-filled middle of nowhere, two "roses" sat apart from one another. One was human; shivering with her arms crossed from the bitter cold and unnerved by the Reaper's very existence. The other was Grimm; unfazed by the cold, but concerned for Ruby's physical and mental well-being. Neither knew what to say or do; this was a situation that both parties never considered.

Without a word, the Reaper walked to a nearby tree and plunged its claws deep in its bark. A burning sizzle echoed in the air as the tree withered; what few leaves persisted against the cold quickly wilted and eventually rotted into ashes. The tree itself fell to the ground completely black and devoid of life. The Reaper tore off several pieces of bark with its claws and gathered them in one place. Ruby watched this "savage dismemberment" with discomfort. Not outright fear, but discomfort.

The Reaper dropped the wood next to Ruby and made a small pile. It knelt down on its knee and touched its claws at the tips above the pile. With a bestial growl and a vile expression, the Reaper flexed its claws downward. This caused the claws to glow red and ignite into dark flames which spread on the pile like a makeshift campfire. Ruby's discomfort lessened to a small extent; at least she could see what the Reaper was doing now. It looked back at her with a welcoming smile and broke the silence.

"You were cold," the Reaper said. "Careful. That's…not normal fire."

The Reaper turned its gaze away, not wanting to overstay its welcome. Its very voice was distorted enough to cause Ruby discomfort. It was her turn to break the silence now.

"Okay, I've gotta get this out there because nothing makes sense," Ruby said with a note of frustration. "Who are you? Where did you take me? How do you know my name? And why do you look and sound like some evil reflection of me, like in a comic book?"

"And we dived right into the awkward," the Reaper turned its gaze away. "Well, it's actually, uh…a really long story."

Both "roses" were silent once more. This was going nowhere fast.

"I guess I'd better start from the beginning," the Reaper said with a pause. "I'm trying to figure things out myself…which means I've gotta ask you something, too. Ruby, what's the last thing you remember…before you woke up?"

A question with a question. That wasn't the best way to break the tension. Ruby took her gaze off the Reaper and on the campfire.

"I…I remember wires around my arms and legs. Something was over my face; I couldn't see anything. My mouth was gagged. I was like that for hours until I ended up in some black room full of Grimm," Ruby explained with a pause. "And her."

"Salem," the Reaper finished.

Newfound terror spiked in Ruby's heart. She glared at the Reaper with suspicious unease.

"You know Salem?" Ruby said in an accusatory manner.

The Reaper regretted its words. It wanted to ease her worries, but that slip of the tongue ruined that. Now that it was out in the open, however, keeping secrets would just make things worse.

"She built me," the Reaper said with a sadness in its voice. "And I know what happened next. You got stabbed by these little Grimm tentacles. They did something to your mind; made you think about the horrible memories you had to live with."

Ruby was taken aback at how the Reaper could know that; her mouth went agape.

"Watching Penny get ripped to pieces, being too late to save Pyrrha, knowing how hard it was for Yang to lose her arm, searching for help when Uncle Qrow was poisoned by that psycho," the Reaper said that last word with bitter anger. "I could go on and on. You couldn't take your mind off of those moments, no matter how hard you tried. Those Grimm weren't powerful or fierce, but they could make people relive the worst moments of their lives, over and over again."

"How…do you?" Ruby could barely ask.

"Because I remember every single second of it," the Reaper answered with a calm fury and venom in its already distorted voice. "I remember because it's like I lived through that nightmare myself!"

All was silent once more. Ruby stared at the Reaper, unsure of what to think of it.

"I opened my eyes and saw myself standing over one of those black pools. When I looked down," the Reaper explained and looked at its claws. "I saw these…things where my hands should be. And when I saw you across the pool, I put the pieces together. I'm a copy; a fake. That's why I look like you. As for where I took you, I don't know."

"You took me here and don't know where we are?" Ruby asked with more suspicion in her voice.

"All I could think about was getting you out of Salem's castle, out of that torture," the Reaper said. "I didn't know where we'd end up when I did. I guess I didn't think things through. I'm sorry."

Silence was in the air once more. The closest thing to sound came from the dark flames between the two. After ten seconds, the Reaper tried to ease Ruby's fears again.

"So, how are you handling all this?" the Reaper asked.

"I don't know," Ruby said. "It's just…this is a lot to take in."

"I get it," the Reaper assured. "It's okay. I didn't mean to pry. After a little while, I think we should—"

The Reaper paused and suddenly stood up. It turned its gaze away from Ruby and toward the forest around them. Something was coming; something negative, filled with the desire to destroy.

"Should…what?" Ruby asked.

"We're surrounded," the Reaper said blankly. "It's Grimm. They're really fast and they're coming at us."

"Wait, what do you mean we're surrounded?" Ruby asked.

"I can feel their hatred for life. They're underground!" the Reaper yelled and looked at Ruby. "I know you've been through a lot, but you need to put it behind you! Take your mind off all the negativity! Think about the people who love you. Focus on them. Focus on the way you'll feel when you see them again. Use your eyes! It's the best chance you have to get through this!"

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked frantically.

"This is my fight, too. I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!" the Reaper glared at Ruby with absolute certainty.

Ruby could only stare that this "fake", taken aback by its intentions.

_Two roses;_

_Red and black._

Out of nowhere, several Grimm burst from the snow-filled ground. They appeared a bit like the Apathy in that they appeared in emaciated human shapes. Unlike the Apathy, however, these Grimm…these "Revenants" have two long black blades where their arms should be, which are used to borrow deep in the ground. There was also black smoke where their legs should be, which allow them to spin like drills. Finally, the Revenants were fast. Very fast.

_Simple truth;_

_Can't go back._

The Reaper stood between the closest Revenant and Ruby. Its claws curled with such hostility that they burned with dark flames. Its eyes evoked such anger that they glowed in a faint red light. After the closest Revenant burst from the ground, it extended its blade-like arms toward Ruby to plunge them deep in her skull, only to find the Reaper in its trajectory. The blades struck the Reaper's skull instead, only to bounce off its skin with two scratches where deep gashes would be on an ordinary person, unshielded by Aura.

The Reaper ignored the blows entirely and grabbed the Revenant by the skull. Its claws dug into its skull with much more success; dark flames immolated the Revenant's screaming face from the inside-out. The Reaper pried its skull to pieces and punted the remains away like pointless trash, though its final moments of suffering mended the scratches on the Reaper's face. Some of the other Revenants nearby witnessed the outright contradictory concept of a Grimm defending life. Being incapable of comprehending these actions, they briefly tilted their heads and looked at the Reaper in confusion.

_It all started with abduction;_

_I'm cursed to bring pure destruction._

This gave the Reaper the opening to run quickly toward another Revenant and grab it by its blade. Dark flames rose from each step the Reaper took during this sprint. It effortlessly lifted the Revenant over its head and slammed it into the ground. The Reaper pinned the Revenant's shoulder under its foot, ripped its blade arm off its body, and impaled its skull with its own weapon.

_Infernal death lies in my wake;_

_Deep down, I know I'm just a fake._

The Reaper ripped the bladed arm out of the Revenant's skull before its body dissolved. The blade was no longer black, but a bright red that seared the very air around it. The other Revenants shrieked with an unusual hatred; one befitting a heretic, rather than a mere victim. They burrowed back under the ground, where the Reaper couldn't touch them, and circled around both Ruby and the Reaper.

_I keep the evil locked away;_

_A nightmare every single day._

The Reaper chased one of them with the intent to ambush it when it emerged from the ground to attack. The very air around it ignited into dark flames that engulfed everything near its path, including the snow and trees.

_The world around me shall decay;_

_I wish there was another way._

The Revenant emerged next to Ruby with the intent to attack her from the side, but the Reaper ambushed it by being in its trajectory. Like with the first Revenant, it tanked the initial attack with minimal damage. Unlike with the first Revenant, the Reaper used the burning blade in its hand to cut through it like a knife through butter. Its whole body seared red from the fire as the Reaper bisected it. Particles of the dissolving Revenant took the shape of a long pole in the Reaper's hand. It attached the burning blade to the tip of the pole; the resulting combination took the form of a very familiar scythe.

_The witch's actions are to blame;_

_Without this mask, we are the same._

The Reaper's new scythe glowed red with the flames within the Reaper itself. A single red eyeball formed on the scythe's blade; a blinking testament to the Reaper's grotesque exterior. Red eyes and silver eyes stared into one another; the former assuring the latter of its true intent without words. Ruby saw so much of herself in the Reaper; slayer of monsters and wielder of the scythe. Her doubts in her look-alike began to fade, and she nodded with the first sign of mutual trust.

_Beneath the monstrous face I wear;_

_This simple soul we both must share._

Without the negativity of doubt to hold Ruby back, thoughts of those she loves filled her mind. Several more Revenants ambushed Ruby all at once and at all sides. She dashed toward the Reaper with her back toward it. The Revenants quickly followed her with their own speed, but this left the fatal error of lining them up in Ruby's peripheral vision, all at once. With a final thought of love, the light of the Silver Eyes engulfed all of the Revenants at once. Their bodies dissolved completely into nothing.

_Your power brings you love and light;_

_You give others the will to fight._

The remaining five Revenants still alive quickly spun underground, but the Reaper went into a predatory pursuit. With a burning effigy of the original Ruby's Crescent Rose in its claws and speed on par with the Petal Burst Semblance, it ran around her toward the Revenants, struck the ground with its scythe, and used the recoil to leap high off the ground. High above the area where the Revenants burrowed in the ground, the Reaper twirled its scythe to change its trajectory in mid-air and strike the ground like a meteor.

_This awful power is my fate;_

_I channel it through all my hate._

Upon impact, the dark flames engulfed everything within fifteen feet of the Reaper's impact, including beneath the ground. Four Revenants burst from the ground all at once, covered in flames and shrieking in agony, though the fifth one remained hidden.

_I may be loathed and feared by all;_

_I'll never be the witch's thrall._

One of them landed near Ruby, and the Reaper prioritized that one over the rest. It quickly bisected two other Revenants in its path and saw the one next to her borrow under the ground again before she had a chance to destroy it with her Silver Eyes. The Reaper ran straight toward the hole left behind, reached inside, and plucked the Revenant out. Its right claws punctured the Revenant's back; its face encased with its left. With its foot on the Revenant's back, the Reaper brutally tore its head off with a quick pull and tossed it aside.

_Do all I can to save someone;_

_I'll rip and tear until it's done._

Meanwhile, Ruby saw the fourth Revenant behind the Reaper and dashed toward them.

_You're a leader; I'm the reaper._

_Our fates are war; clawing deeper._

The Revenant wrapped its blade around the Reaper's neck, but before either of them could do anything, Ruby flashed it with another use of the Silver Eyes…as well as the Reaper itself.

_Unwavering, unyielding;_

_The soul is…incorruptible._

Like every other Revenant, this one dissolved. However, the Reaper screamed in agony; this was the first time it suffered real damage. Ruby clasped her hands over her mouth in shock. The Reaper's left arm and left side of its face was encased in stone. Her shock turned into fear when she saw the Reaper's jagged fangs and furious glare. The sudden shock and sorrowful remorse froze Ruby stiff even as the Reaper pointed its scythe toward her…

_My heart is…in-cor-rup-ti-ble_.

…hilt first.

"Behind you!" the Reaper yelled in pain.

Out of combat instinct, Ruby grabbed the Reaper's foul scythe and swung it behind her without even seeing what was there. When she felt the blade come in contact with the last Revenant, she saw flames engulf the scythe's blade. Split into two, the Revenant was flung backward and dissolved before it even touched the ground. The bulging red eye on the scythe's blade shed a single tear that came into contact with Ruby's arm…and burned through her dress and skin.

Ruby dropped the scythe and clutched her arm, screaming in agony. The pain was nothing like what she usually felt in combat; the pain didn't subside. The Reaper covered its mouth in shock with its right claws.

"It burns! It burns!" Ruby screamed.

She put her arm on the snowy ground in an attempt to soothe the pain, but found no relief. Meanwhile, Ruby's suffering strengthened the Reaper enough to escape the accidental petrification inflicted upon it.

"Ruby! What happened?" the Reaper asked with worry.

"The…the scythe! It's evil! Eeeviiil!" Ruby yelled frantically.

It took a moment for the Reaper to put the pieces together, but once it did, it showed immediate remorse. It was too obvious; it should've known better. The Reaper may have made the scythe, but it was still Grimm, and it didn't have a soul of its own, copied or otherwise. Naturally, the scythe's first instinct was to hurt someone.

"Ruby, I…I'm so sorry!" the Reaper apologized profusely. "I…I didn't think that…I mean, the Grimm was behind you and…I didn't mean for that to—"

"Your arm," Ruby interrupted, noticeably wincing in pain. "It turned to stone."

The Reaper paused and looked at Ruby's face with worry.

"You're Grimm," Ruby said in an accusatory manner.

"Yeah," the Reaper turned her gaze away. "I thought you figured that out."

"I…I guess it was kinda obvious," Ruby said with her face turned toward her arm. "Don't know how I missed that."

She wiped the snow from her arm to see the damage and the Reaper saw the fear in her heart.

"Oh my god!" Ruby yelled. "My arm! I…I can see my bone!"

The skin over Ruby's arm wasn't just burnt; it was gone entirely, leaving the muscles, bone, and tendons completely exposed. Meanwhile, the Reaper cut out a long piece of Ruby's cape with its claw.

"Here," the Reaper wrapped Ruby's wound. "It'll still hurt, but at least it won't be exposed."

The fear was still palpable in Ruby's heart. That gesture did nothing to ease her.

"All that power. The gloomy fire, the rotting away the trees, the evil scythe; you're like Destruction itself," Ruby looked at the Reaper with unease. "And Salem made you?"

"Yeah," the Reaper said dejectedly. "But…I'm nothing like Salem! That was an accident! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"I know that," Ruby said and paused. "But how do I know you're really trying to help me?"

The Reaper didn't know how to respond. Its memories didn't come from someone that was untrusting. If anything, it remembered being too trusting once.

"Salem had me kidnapped, right? That means she didn't want me dead, so I believe that you didn't mean to hurt me," Ruby said without even looking at the Reaper. "But how do I know this isn't some elaborate scheme to take me back to her? You're Grimm. That means other Grimm are attracted to you. What if this fight was staged somehow? How do I know that somebody else, maybe even my friends, didn't already save me…and you killed them to take me back?"

The Reaper was heartbroken by these questions, yet it couldn't refute her point. She doesn't know; she couldn't have.

"You don't," the Reaper whispered and turned away again.

Both "roses" stood with their backs facing each other with a sorrow that affected them both.

"I've been lied to before," Ruby explained. "I've seen people turn against me, keep secrets from me, and it's getting hard to know who I can trust."

"I get it. It's okay," the Reaper assured. "But I can't leave you all alone, not when you're lost in the snowy wilderness with no food, water, or weapon besides your eyes."

"No, it isn't," Ruby said. "It's not okay. I shouldn't be like that. Assuming the worst of people; I never wanted to be that person. That's why…I'm gonna try."

The Reaper was instantly taken aback by this. Deep down, it knew it was a fake. In spite of that, this real person, the very person she was copied from, no less, considered her as one of many "people." Both "roses" turned toward each other at the same time.

"I'm gonna try to take you at your word," Ruby said. "I don't know if you're telling the truth or not. I know I'm risking my life even being near you. You could kill me, and you could attract more Grimm to me. But…you're risking your life, too. You didn't try to hide anything. Salem built you. Those were your words. It's not easy admitting that kinda thing, but I didn't even have to force that out of you. You just told me. And now that I know you're Grimm, I know I could kill you, too. And you're still here. You're not letting fear get the better of you. If I turned my back on you now, it wouldn't be fair to you, and that's not the kind of Huntress I want to be."

"Yeah," the Reaper said and gave a weak smile. "I get it."

Ruby met this smile with a weak one of her own. They weren't officially "allies," but who can say what the future will bring.


	4. It's Also a Grimm

The aimless journey of the two "roses" stretched on for hours until the sun set over the horizon. Night would come soon and there was still no sign of a village. Though the weather was very cold throughout the long march, Ruby carried a makeshift torch made from a long tree branch and the Reaper's dark flames. The Reaper wasn't bothered by the cold, and only carried its scythe. The two stopped in a small, yet hollow cave that was nearby a plateau that overlooked many trees.

"Here," Ruby said. "If we stop here, one of us can keep watch for somebody while the other sleeps. Wish I still had my sleeping bag; the ground here looks kinda…gravelly."

The Reaper silently nodded and walked toward a nearby tree. It did the same thing it did with the last one; pry off little twigs and branches, build a pile, and make a campfire with its dark flames.

"Uh, that fire sure comes in handy, you know?" Ruby attempted to sound encouraging, but her thoughts turned toward her burnt arm when she saw the flames.

The Reaper sat nearby the campfire and stared down at its scythe. Its bulging eye was a reminder that the scythe was, in fact, a living Grimm. Looking back at that moment with the Revenants, the Reaper was unsure of how it made the weapon in the first place. While it did possess incredibly detailed memories of the inner workings of a "Crescent Rose" scythe, including its construction process, they were completely irrelevant to the making of this weapon aside from its faintly similar shape.

"I mean, we're still lost, and cold, and we could be miles away from somebody. But we can figure this out," Ruby said.

The Reaper still didn't respond. Its attention remained fixated on its scythe. As far as the Reaper knew, it just stuck Grimm parts together and made a scythe somehow. There was no logic to it; none of the knowledge and science that made the scythe in its memories special.

"Hello? Grimm person?" Ruby stared at the Reaper.

"Oh! Sorry," the Reaper responded. "I was just, uh—"

"—distracted?" Ruby asked. "Yeah, I, uh…like to look at Crescent Rose, too. Well, I did…once."

Ruby instantly gave herself sad thoughts of her missing scythe; a sensation that the Reaper noticed.

"Are you okay?" the Reaper asked.

"Oh! Yeah. This just feels—"

"—awkward?"

"Really awkward," Ruby finished.

Both "roses" sighed at the same time. The tension didn't just evaporate over one day of walking. After a minute of awkward silence, Ruby clutched her arm and grunted in pain.

"It still hurts," the Reaper said with concern.

"Yeah. My Aura should have regenerated by now," Ruby answered. "It's been hours."

She pulled the Scroll from her pocket to see how much Aura she had left on her personal gauge; it read 82%. Her eyes widened in confusion.

"Wait, what's going on?" Ruby quivered. "W-why does my Scroll say I have Aura? My wound should have healed by now! Is this thing broken?"

After a few seconds, something clicked in the Reaper's mind. It was just like the moment when its claws dug into that weird sadistic man's skull. The Reaper wished it brought the subject up sooner, but the pieces just now came together.

"Maybe I'm just tired from all the walking," Ruby assured herself.

"Well, actually, uh, now that you mention it," the Reaper said hesitantly. "Therrrrre…might be another reason why your arm didn't get better."

"What other reason?" Ruby asked with dread in her voice.

"Funny that it didn't come up until now, but, uh," the Reaper paused mid-sentence.

"But…uh," Ruby signaled the Reaper to finish.

"Turns out…Aura doesn't work against me," the Reaper squinted and rolled its eyes in embarrassment.

A long pause of silence came between the two that lasted seconds, but felt like an eternity.

"Huh?" Ruby muttered in disbelief.

"Aura doesn't stop my attacks…at all," the Reaper hunched slightly out of guilt. "So if I'm in a fight with somebody that relies on Aura to protect themselves, I can hurt them anyway. And apparently…that applies to the scythe I made, too."

Ruby blinked twice, in disbelief of what she just heard.

"But…every living thing depends on Aura," Ruby reiterated with astonishment. "Everything with a soul has Aura. Every Huntsman from every Academy was _trained_ to harness Aura! It's like the magical power that makes our shields and our Semblances work!"

"Yeah," the Reaper muttered and turned its gaze. "I know."

"So you could kill anybody," Ruby said with a chilling tone. "No matter how strong someone is, all it would take is one mistake and you could cut them in half, or rip their arms off, or crush their skull with your foot! And then you could just move on to the next person!"

"I could never do something like that," the Reaper muttered weakly.

"But you could," Ruby stated matter-of-factly. "I saw how you fought those Grimm. You might look like me, but you fight like a m…like a scary, uh…"

"Monster," the Reaper said in a sad tone. "That's what the Creatures of Grimm are. We're the monsters that the Huntsmen dedicate their lives to protecting the world against. I can feel it in your heart; you're still scared of me."

Ruby paused, unsure of how to answer. The Reaper looked down at its scythe and gripped it tightly.

"I don't care," the Reaper said defiantly. "Monster or not…I don't care what anyone calls me. I know what I want to be; what I've always wanted to be."

"I am scared, but not just because of you," Ruby clarified. "Salem doesn't care if you're standing against her or not. She'll kill anybody, and that scares me most of all. If she can make a Grimm like you, then you might not be the only one. There might be mo—"

"No," the Reaper interrupted suddenly. "I mean, I don't think there are. I can't prove anything, but if those other Grimm we fought today were like me, I wouldn't have torn through them so easily," the Reaper looked at Ruby. "And they would've just turned to stone and broke free of your Silver Eyes like I did, instead of just dissolving away into nothing."

"So you're tougher than other Grimm, but I did face another one just like that," Ruby pointed out. "It was a Leviathan."

"Was it all 'angry monster grrr', or could it talk and think like me?" the Reaper asked.

"It was 'angry monster grrr'," Ruby admitted. "And much bigger than you, too."

Both "roses" let out a single laugh at the same time. For that brief second, there was an awkward tranquility between the two. After that, it was just awkward again. They went from comfortable to self-conscious just like that.

"Uh, Grimm person…that looks like me?" Ruby asked. "If we're gonna stick together, we're gonna have to have more than just awkward small talk, you know? Break out of our shell?"

"You mean—" the Reaper started.

"The really—" Ruby continued.

"Uncomfortable—" the Reaper continued.

"Terrible—" Ruby continued.

"'Getting-to-know-you' stuff," both "roses" dreadfully said in unison.

They both moaned in disgust; both had less than comfortable memories of introducing themselves to strangers, and both were reluctant to even begin a subject. Their gazes shifted around randomly in a pitiful attempt to avoid conversation. After about ten seconds of silence, Ruby noticed something in the Reaper's claw that would be much easier to talk about and pointed at it.

"That scythe," Ruby said with more enthusiasm. "I'm more interested in that. Let's start with that."

The Reaper looked down at the sentient weapon with both a great unease and more genuine interest than anything else that was brought up tonight.

"Yeah," the Reaper responded with the same enthusiasm. "It's a flesh-burning Aura-circumventing scythe…with an eyeball attached to it!"

"Huh?" Ruby looked confused.

"It's also a Grimm," the Reaper said, smiling, only to frown immediately afterwards. "That sounded better in my head."

"Yeah, you'll wanna work on that description a bit," Ruby agreed. "But it's shaped almost like Crescent Rose! Hey, what other tricks can it do? How much does it weigh? Is it also a gun? Are the bullets it fires also Grimm?"

"I…don't know," the Reaper answered. "I haven't really had a chance to find out."

Ruby pouted at the anticlimactic response, and the Reaper took a moment to observe this new weapon closely. It didn't appear to have any trigger or muzzle attached to it.

"Well, I don't think it's a gun," the Reaper guessed. "It doesn't feel very heavy for me, but I need a scale to tell how much it weighs. The only thing that's really different about it are the Aura-circumventing ability and the eyeball."

"Okay, so what does the eyeball do?" Ruby asked, and then squinted. "Aside from burning my arm with its tears."

"I don't know," the Reaper answered and held its scythe in the air. "I mean, I just slapped Grimm parts together, thought about a scythe, and somehow that's what I ended up with. It's nothing like the way Huntresses make their weapons. They put time and effort in their weapons. I didn't; it just came out like this."

"And it has your power in it, too," Ruby added. "I saw how it turned red when you assembled it. But maybe it only seemed easy because the arms you made that scythe with were also like scythes?"

"You mean, different Grimm are like different parts?" the Reaper said with great interest.

"Maybe it's customizable like my Crescent Rose?" Ruby said with excitement. "Oohhh! Maybe you could make it spit venom like from a Dromedon, or put tentacles to drag opponents toward you like a Seer, or put wings on it like a Nevermore!"

"Why would I want a scythe to have wings?" the Reaper asked.

"I, uh, I don't know," Ruby said. "I guess I got carried away. I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. Hey, if you can make weapons out of Grimm by thinking of them, maybe you can change their shape, too?"

"Huh. Maybe," the Reaper said, intrigued.

It grabbed the long hilt with both claws and bent it into a U-shape, then grabbed the top of the blade and curled it into the hilt like a coil. It held out the result and showed Ruby, who appeared…less than impressed.

"It looks like…like, uh," Ruby said.

"A paper clip," the Reaper said, completely deadpan. "It's mostly for putting it away."

Out of muscle memory of Crescent Rose, the Reaper attempted to attach the folded weapon on the back of its waist, only for it to fall to the ground the instant it let go. Ruby covered her mouth and withheld a chuckle. The Reaper picked up its weapon and noticed the bulging eyeball on it, which blinked and looked back.

"The eye," the Reaper glared at it with anger. "It's sentient. I know that much. Probably what was left over from the Grimm I tore apart."

"Even though that eyeball is clearly as big as your entire face?" Ruby pointed out.

"Oh yeah," the Reaper agreed. "That doesn't make sense. Huh. But I know it fears me. I can feel it. It won't hurt anyone I don't want it to, as long as I'm holding it."

Ruby grabbed her burnt arm instinctively when she heard that, which the Reaper noticed.

"That was a mistake," the Reaper assured. "I didn't know how dangerous it is to anyone else. It won't happen again."

"I guess your scythe is still really cool," Ruby said, half-heartedly. "And dangerous; really dangerous."

"Maybe I should just destroy it," the Reaper said. "It would be safer for everybody."

It positioned its thumb claws over the scythe's eyeball to do just that, but hesitated at the last moment. Its eye silently gazed upon its wielder, which stared back for a few seconds.

"This feels wrong," the Reaper explained. "I don't know how to explain it, but this feels like I'm gonna tear my own arm off. I don't think I can destroy it."

"You mean…your weapon is a part of you?" Ruby asked.

"I…" the Reaper hesitated to answer. "I guess it is."

"I get it," Ruby responded. "Crescent Rose and I are one and the same. I miss it so much."

Ruby suddenly yawned and stretch her arms up, only to recoil her burnt arm in pain. She walked slowly toward the cave in a slump.

"I guess all this talk about weapons made me tired," Ruby said with half-opened eyes. "We better get some sleep in our nice cozy cave."

"I…" the Reaper hesitated again. "I'll stay out here and keep watch. I'm not tired and the cold doesn't bother me."

"You sure?" Ruby asked with concern.

"If any more Grimm are drawn to me, I don't want them to kill you in your sleep," the Reaper explained.

"Oh," Ruby sounded disappointed. "Right. That makes sense. But if you do get tired, we can trade places. You don't have to do all the work, okay?

The two "roses" looked at each other one last time and nodded before the Reaper walked on the plateau that oversaw so many trees. When Ruby left its field of view, it looked upon its scythe one more time.

"Am I one and the same with this scythe?" the Reaper shook her head in disgust. "I shouldn't be. It's Grimm. It's dangerous. I shouldn't just embrace it like this, even if it is part of me."


	5. The Wager

Hours have passed since night fell and the Reaper stood alone in the forest that was overlooked by the plateau. Despite choosing to distance itself from Ruby, there hasn't been a single Grimm. The negativity that the Reaper sensed earlier that day was silent as well. It must have stemmed from the Grimm that attacked them. It was actually quiet; almost peacefully so, in fact. Without anything else to distract it, the Reaper's own inherent negativity, alongside that of the scythe it carried, was that much more noticeable. That much was normal for the Grimm, creatures of Destruction and negativity that they were, but what wasn't normal were how the memories of Ruby's life remained dormant in its mind.

There were memories of thrills…

"_You're a Huntress! Can I have your autograph?!"_

…triumphs…

"_Don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before! I mean, Oscar made a successful crash landing! He's a fourteen-year-old farm hand!"_

…and tragedies…

"_I…I…I got to the top…and I saw Pyrrha…and Cinder…and then everything went white!"_

…but most importantly, innocence.

"_Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! It will be DELICIOUS!"_

Ironic for one made of negativity to have such varying memories, and even more so to understand the significance of them. Yet these aspects of Ruby are all that separated the Reaper from what was no doubt meant to be an unquenchable and unstoppable monster. When it opened its eyes and looked upon the sharp claws and vile scythe within them, the cruel reality of its situation sank in once more.

"It wasn't mine. It was never my life. I have no right to act like we shared it," the Reaper solemnly said to itself.

At least one good thing may yet come of all this; Ruby…the real one, may go back to live her life, but what happens after that? Will they be forced to part ways? Will her friends and family look upon it with fear? How about if they learn who created it? What about the many Huntsmen that do their best to protect this world? Will they see it as a mark; a monster to vanquish? And what about the innocents that live scattered throughout this world? Will they fear its existence too?

When all is said and done with this journey, then what?

Mere minutes went by with that very question on its mind, but it seemed like hours. It gazed upon the fractured moon in the sky, partially to avoid its own question. There was a terrible beauty to it, to seeing something so grand and magnificent reduced to a shattered remnant of its former self. It's the privilege of the Reaper's condition; to see the result of all-consuming Destruction in the night sky and appreciate it. The look of awe turned into one of curiosity when it saw a purple light shine from the moon's exposed core, then one of shock when the light shined brighter. The light engulfed the Reaper's surroundings until it could see only purple, and then, darkness. Just as quickly as the light blanketed her surroundings, the Reaper no longer recognized them. The trees and snow that bordered where it stood were gone. Even the plateau where Ruby set up camp was nowhere to be seen. Everything was replaced by a single platform that floated over a seemingly endless void. The ground was dead and lifeless, much like the domain that Salem's castle once stood in. Even the sky had no features to look upon, as opposed to the red clouds that loomed over Salem's abode. All there was to notice was the giant pool in the center of the platform; one that had an uncanny resemblance to the pool that the Reaper first came from.

"Ruby?" the Reaper yelled frantically. "RUBY?"

Dark flames erupted from the Reaper's body as a result of its intense emotions, but it would receive a response; just not from Ruby.

"You are lost. Confused. You do not yet understand your true purpose."

The voice that echoed in the air sounded like that of a very wise man. That only brought more confusion, but that was nothing compared to the moment that bubbles emerged from the black pool, followed by a figure that was entirely purple. It crawled across the pool's surface like a water strider, but with twisted limbs and sickening cracks. The figure untwisted itself and stood upright, on top of the pool, to address the Reaper.

"Do not fear, child. I welcome you to my domain."

Now that it stood normally, the figure clearly possessed a humanoid form. He had curved, segmented horns that arc over his head and curve upward over the back of his cranium. His arms curved behind his back to convey an approachable stance. Most notably, his face was utterly devoid of features.

"Yes. You are different from my other agents. You are the first among them to possess thought and identity. It will take some time for you to adjust to your proper role."

Ruby's memories were triggered in the Reaper's mind upon the sight of this imposing figure. Ever since Ruby asked the Relic of Knowledge that question, the tale of the world before it was the Remnant of today was one she never forgotten, and so, the Reaper remember it as well. The being that stood before it was no mere man; he was so much more. He was one of the two gods that created the world and humanity eons ago.

"The God of Darkness," the Reaper muttered in awe. "But…the gods left the world. I…I thought…"

"In time, child. In time," the God of Darkness said in a soothing tone. "Doubt still lingers within you. I have brought you here to address them."

"What are you talking about? Why am I here? Where am I?" the Reaper asked.

"Think to the moment you first opened your eyes," the God of Darkness said. "When you first laid eyes on Salem…and defied her. Do you understand why only you, among your kin, could do such a thing?"

The thought of it made the Reaper seethe with anger; more flames erupted from its body in the process. It was impossible to tell what the God of Darkness thought of this, but the Reaper quickly calmed itself.

"I…I have someone else's memories. A Huntress. Salem copied them from a Huntress. I…I don't know why she did that, but…everything about me feels so wrong now," the Reaper answered, too much in awe of its situation to withhold any information besides Ruby's name.

"It has ever been Salem's wish to spite us," the God of Darkness answered matter-of-factly. "To turn our gifts against us after we punished her for her arrogance. The powers of light my brother left behind is no exception."

"You mean…the Silver Eyes?" the Reaper guessed.

"Yes. She sought to use it, to twist it to her own ends, and when that failed, she made her own power using my brother's as a template," the God of Darkness explained. "Her intention is to use your eyes to destroy her former lover, in body and soul, so that his promise to my brother would never be realized."

"Destroy…a soul?" the Reaper responded in horror. "My eyes can do that? That's why she made me?"

"It is ironic that my brother's blessing could be used to create such a destructive force, but it is the truth," the God of Darkness said with judgmental spite. "And so she used the soul of one of my brother's chosen as the means to do so."

"I won't!" the Reaper glared at the god. "I'll never do something like that! I'll never hurt Oscar's soul…Ozpin's soul…Ozma's soul? I won't let you!"

"You do not understand," the God of Darkness shook his head. "Your role is not to serve Salem. You shall serve…me."

The Reaper's expression went agape, but no words came from its mouth.

"It is no miracle that things have turned against Salem as they have, with her army scattered and her castle reduced to rubble before you," the God of Darkness explained.

"How…do you know that?" the Reaper barely muttered.

"Did you think my brother the only one to leave behind an agent to carry out his will in the form of a mortal blessed with life after life?" the God of Darkness asked in hypothetical terms. "It was I, who allowed Salem to experiment with my pools and use my agents as her personal army. It was I, who allowed her to bring famine and destruction to the world of mortals. And it was I, who allowed her to use the suffering brought about by her actions to create the very instrument of her destruction."

"You…you planned all of this? Everything?" the Reaper asked in disbelief.

"Before I left the world my brother and I created, I erred. Taking in Salem's honeyed words, I went against the balance we agreed upon without thought," the God of Darkness explained. "I have learned from this failure. I knew what Salem would do in her arrogance; what she would always do, and so I watched from beyond the scope of mortal eyes and waited for this moment. The circle is now complete. When I left that world, I was but the fool; now I am the master!"

The Reaper paused to take this all in. It was too hard to believe. The gods were fallible; it remembered that much from the Relic of Knowledge. How could he know so much now?

"Why?" the Reaper finally said, its voice growing louder and more hostile with each statement. "Why now? You abandoned the world. You left humanity behind with four Relics. I know what they're meant to do. You left humanity behind…to fend for themselves! You left them at the mercy of Salem and the Grimm! Why do you choose now to do anything?"

"It was my brother's decision to make Salem immortal…and then grant Ozma endless incarnations, and then his chosen after that," the God of Darkness looked toward the empty sky. "These acts were of Creation, of his domain, and so it fell to him to pass judgment. He believed that humanity could remake themselves without our blessings to tempt them, and so I held my tongue and departed with him, but not before leaving my agents behind to sow destruction in the wake of my absence."

The Reaper's eyes widened. This plan went on for millennia?

"In truth, I knew that immortality was my brother's mistake," the God of Darkness spoke with thinly veiled anger. "He had always possessed such ideals, such hope, and where did that hope lead? Two humans, both made eternal by my brother, locked in a stalemate? The folly of my brother's failure is clear. This quarrel will not be resolved by the powers of Creation, but Destruction. That…is your purpose."

"To destroy Salem?" the Reaper asked with both doubt and shame.

"Unite humanity into one like mind and bring the Relics together, so that my brother and I may settle our wager once and for all!" the God of Darkness commanded.

"Wait…wager? What wager?" the Reaper asked.

"You do not know?" the God of Darkness sounded genuinely puzzled. "Perhaps the Relic of Knowledge did not, in fact, know everything…or perhaps my brother kept that information a guarded secret. No matter. We had come together to create this world, this beautiful experiment, for a singular purpose; to discover which power was greater, Creation or Destruction. The mortals we created so long ago were to be used as our test subjects, before Salem roused them against us. Now this mistake shall be corrected. I grow tired of this idle waiting."

The Reaper looked down upon its claws with the thought that it could never have hated its terrifying appearance even more than it did, only to find out…that it was all planned.

"A bet?" the Reaper seethed with rage. "You abandoned the world, left so many people to die at the hands of Salem and the Grimm, all for some _STUPID BET_?"

The God of Darkness did not take this response lightly. He pointed his arm and fired a beam of purple energy at the Reaper, which instantly caused it to float helplessly in the air. Its limbs twisted and contorted backwards, causing it great pain. It tried to scream, but sound wouldn't escape its lips. Only the sounds of sickening cracks filled its ears.

"You dare take such a disrespectful tone with me!" the God of Darkness said in anger. "The mortals alone were given the ideal of choice. You were not! You are my agent of Destruction! You are mine to command! You will _ALWAYS_ be mine!"

In a fit of rage, the God of Darkness swung his arm down toward the barren ground, which caused the Reaper's contorted body to strike the ground like a burning meteor. In seconds, its agonized voice was finally audible and its limbs twisted back into their humanoid shape. It couldn't even speak coherently; only bestial growls escaped its lips.

"Understand your place; it is beneath my feet. You are my agent, and you shall do as I command. My eye…will always be watching you," the God of Darkness warned.

What eye? It wasn't on his face; he didn't even have eyes. Or maybe they were just invisible? The Reaper moved slowly in an attempt to get up, still in pain from the god's earlier show of power. By chance, it noticed the giant eyeball on its scythe, and it put the pieces together.

"Your eye…the scythe?" the Reaper asked, wincing in pain. "But…how? You couldn't have…I made this scythe. How did you—"

"I told you. I am no longer the fool," the God of Darkness answered.

"Wait…the Grimm. The ones…that attacked us. They were different. Ruby never saw that kind before. I know from her memories," the Reaper said while trying to at least sit up. "The Grimm in Salem's domain…they were terrified of me. They wouldn't fight me. They ran…which means that the Grimm that attacked us…they weren't Salem's."

The Reaper gave the God of Darkness one last look of defiance.

"They were yours!" it yelled.

"Think of it as an experiment; a way to ascertain your power," the God of Darkness justified it. "But know that while Salem's soul is mortal, mine is not. Your eyes cannot harm me. Do not think of rebellion. The last group of mortals that dared try were wiped to extinction."

The Reaper quickly lost its nerve. Would this god actually wipe out all of humanity...again? Before it could respond, it felt a surge of air engulf its body, but it was still too fixated on the god in front of it to find out why.

"Wherever you go, Destruction shall follow, and with it, all of Creation shall understand its greatness," the God of Darkness said his last words before the dark world around the Reaper faded.

It felt itself thrust backwards by an incredible force, only to land on a cold surface. When it opened its eyes, the Reaper noticed that it was back in the snow-filled forest. It was back on Remnant, alone with its thoughts. It was bad enough to know it was a fake; to have memories of a life that didn't belong to it. But now, that was nothing compared to the truth. It wasn't just a fake, it was a pawn. It looked upon the eyeball on its scythe with utter hatred.

"I don't care what Salem or the gods or anyone else says!" the Reaper shouted. "I don't care what you do to me! I won't be a monster! I'll never be a monster!"

It screamed with rage; dark flames erupted from its body like a volcanic eruption and engulfed the trees and snow nearby until they burned to ashes. It was only after the Reaper saw the result of its fury that it made any attempt to compose itself. In a final fit of rage, the Reaper tossed its scythe as far away as possible…only for the scythe to return like a boomerang and land hilt first on its leg.

"Huh? How did it—" the Reaper muttered.

It grabbed the scythe off its leg and attempted to throw it again, only for it to remain stuck to its claw. It got it off its claw by pinning it underneath its foot…only for it to be stuck to its foot. It was like a magnet, and it wouldn't let go. Finally having enough of this madness, the Reaper considered the one thing it felt it should have done hours ago.

"So that's the game we're playing? Fine!" it yelled and pinned the scythe under its body. "I'll just rip that stupid eye out of your—"

Before it finished its threat, the Reaper sensed the scythe's fear. With the same burning tears that burned Ruby earlier, it was the same fear it sensed before. This time, however, there was another underlying emotion that the Reaper sensed from the scythe. It was powerlessness; a loss of control. The rage subsided immediately at the realization.

"You didn't choose this," the Reaper said softly. "You never chose to be a monster…or a weapon. And you never chose to be stuck with me. It was that god. He made that choice, just like Salem made the choice to build me. You're just as cursed as I am."

More tears came from the scythe's eye, possibly as its way of responding. The Reaper wasn't fooled by the weapon's true nature, though. It was Grimm, and it didn't have a soul, copied or otherwise. It couldn't feel for others in its state, yet the Reaper couldn't bring itself to destroy it. They were one in the same in every way.

"One chance," the Reaper warned. "You already burned Ruby's arm. I'll give you one more chance…because I made you like that. I ripped those Grimm apart. I left you stuck like this. I made that choice and I take full responsibility for that, so I'll give you this chance. Just remember this. From now on, no evil, no matter what. If either of us hurts even one more innocent person like that again, there won't be a third time. I'll make Ruby kill us both if I have to. Bet on that."


	6. You're Your Own Person

After a silence that seemed to last an eternity, dawn finally came. The Reaper sat in the same rotted location it was in since its temper flared…literally. It never moved. It never made another sound beyond that warning about never harming another innocent. It simply sat alone with its thoughts with poignant eyes on its scythe.

Meanwhile, Ruby woke up to the bright light of sunrise. Her body was sore from having slept in that cave the whole night; it left her stiff. Out of a lack of awareness, Ruby stretched her sore limbs, only to agitate the wound that the Reaper's scythe left on her arm. The sharp pain forced her to clamp down her wrapped wound with her hand. She quickly glanced at her Scroll and reacted in quiet dread. Even at 100% Aura, the wound never healed.

Ruby stepped outside; her free hand kept the sun out of her eyes. Only the cold remains of the makeshift fireplace stood on the plateau. There was no sign of—

"Other me?" Ruby called out. The cold made her body shiver. "Where is she?"

It didn't take long for her to find it, considering it sat in the one rotted part of the forest that was overlooked by the plateau. Her eyes were naturally drawn to such decay; it stuck out like a sore thumb.

"What are you doing down there?" Ruby yelled. "Are you…okay?"

The Reaper came out of its thoughts and looked up at Ruby. After a moment to get its bearings, it silently wondered how much time passed.

"Yeah, I'm," the Reaper's voice lowered, "never better."

"I can't hear you!"

"Never better," it said louder. It climbed up the sheer cliff of the plateau, which was about 18 feet up. The scythe in its hand dug into the cliff like a pickaxe while its free claw kept it from sliding down. It moved slowly and carefully, making sure not to leave behind any more flames.

"Why were you just sitting down there?" Ruby asked.

"I told you," the Reaper answered as it climbed. "I didn't want Grimm to be drawn to you, so I stayed away."

"That spot," Ruby said, referring to the rotted part of the forest. "It's like someone sneezed on Dust crystals and left a huge crater. What even did that?"

"Grimm," the Reaper said matter-of-factly. "The most terrifying Grimm I've ever seen. That was responsible."

It reached the top of the plateau and pulled itself up, ignoring the hand Ruby offered. As far as the Reaper was aware, the lack of protection that Aura provides against it might have caused her hand to be crushed to pieces with a squeeze.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Ruby asked with concern. "You didn't have to fight it by yourself. I could've helped you."

"You…might still have to," the Reaper whispered with a pang of guilt.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's…no, it's nothing," the Reaper tried to portray a sense of confidence. "I've never been better."

"You sure?" Ruby asked. "You were keeping watch the whole time, right?"

"Yeah."

"Aren't you…tired?" Ruby squinted.

"Uh…no," the Reaper said with a noticeable delay. "No, I'm not. Huh."

It took until now for the Reaper to realize the implications, but it wasn't exhausted from staying awake the whole night…not even a little bit. Nervous about what its very existence could bring to the world, yes, but it definitely wasn't tired.

"Maybe…Grimm don't need to sleep?" the Reaper guessed. "I mean, they only eat because they choose to, but they don't have to, so maybe. I mean, I don't look tired, do I?"

"No," Ruby admitted. "But you seem…off. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," the Reaper couldn't even look her in the eye. "Never better."

It couldn't say it. After everything that happened last night, the Reaper couldn't find the courage to bring up what happened last night. It was bad enough when Ruby knew Salem built it. That caused enough fear as it is. It knew deep down that keeping secrets made things worse, but how could it explain the fact that it was destined to be a harbinger of destruction by the God of Darkness himself? Even if that aligns with the goal of defeating Salem, where does that leave the rest of the world?

After an eternity of war with Salem, there was finally a real chance of ending it and bringing true salvation to the world, but would it last? All it would take is one person unwilling to obey the rules that the gods made, and the cycle could begin all over again. Would the God of Darkness have it hunt that person down as well? A constant cycle of destruction that the deity that orchestrated its very creation would only take glee in such a thing. That doesn't even mention the possibility of that salvation being instantly wiped away by a petty deity that lost a bet.

A bet. That's what the true meaning of life was for the people of Remnant; to satisfy a bet. If every religious person that looked up at the stars and believed in destiny ever learned how ridiculous the truth was…the Reaper didn't dare think of how many Grimm would show up from the negativity. Would the Grimm still unleash destruction to the world on behalf of their true god, as opposed to Salem? Would destroying her even _change_ anything in the long run?

The two "roses" walked aimlessly for hours across the cold snow, both distracted. For the Reaper, it was the events of last night. For Ruby, the thought of seeing her friends and family again…and eating something besides frozen berries. Compared to yesterday, the weather wasn't as frigid; it wasn't snowing, but the two were still lost. The quiet and grim worries that plagued them both to the point that neither paid attention to the other…and the Reaper stopped in front of Ruby, only for her to walk into it.

"Sorry," they both said in unison and briefly paused. That moment when they both say the same thing at the same time was still awkward.

"I...still can't find any sign of a village," the Reaper admitted. "I'm sorry. I dragged you into this."

"Aw, it's okay," Ruby tried to sound optimistic, but couldn't hide her worry. "I'm used to long walks across the continent. I hear that tree bark is tasty this time of year."

The Reaper looked at Ruby with a deadpan silence and shook her head. Even Ruby thought that was too fake after a pause to think about it.

"Yeah, that's not…helpful," Ruby said with a sigh. "We're lost."

She saw the look of guilt over the Reaper's face and silently berated herself for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. This wasn't the time to mope.

"We're gonna be fine," Ruby said with more optimism. "We've been in worse situations than this and survived. Well, I mean you haven't actually been around for that long. I mean—"

"It's okay," the Reaper interrupted. "I'm not worried about me."

That statement stopped Ruby cold. She looked at her Grimm counterpart with open worry. As much as the Reaper wanted to take back that statement, it was the truth. It didn't value its own life. It turned its sad gaze away from Ruby and continued onward. Ruby couldn't leave it like that, even if their predicament was its fault. That's not how a good Huntress was supposed to act. With a pause, she decided to do what they both wanted to avoid since yesterday: the awkward getting-to-know-you stuff.

"What's it like?" Ruby somberly asked. "Being a Grimm."

The Reaper was briefly taken aback by this question. It tried to find the words that properly articulated the answer. After that moment, only two words came to mind.

"It's horrible," the Reaper said. It wanted to keep it as simple as possible, but the thought of yesterday also came to mind for it. This was a good opportunity to get it over with.

"Uh," the Reaper spoke more deliberately. "Maybe…I should use…more words?"

"And," Ruby spoke with just as much discomfort. "Maybe…we can talk about this…while…we're walking. You know, just in case we—"

"Yeah, yeah," the Reaper agreed. "No point in standing out here in the cold."

The two gave each other another awkward look before they continued their trek.

"Okay, I guess a good place to start is the beginning," the Reaper said. "For me, the beginning was when I rose out of that pool. You remember how I said I remembered how you relived the worst moments of your life?"

"Yeah," Ruby nodded.

"Well," the Reaper paused. "I remember everything else, too. I remember living on an island…with a dad and a sister. I remember the fairy tales my sister would read me every night when I was young. I remember wanting to be…a hero who saves everyone, like in storybooks."

This description left Ruby's mouth agape. The Reaper was describing her life.

"I remember the first day of Beacon…and how amazing it was to be surrounded by so many weapons," the Reaper blinked in realization of what it said. "Oh, and other Huntsmen, they were cool, too. I also remember…"

The Reaper paused and displayed noticeable discomfort, which quickly turned into anger and despair. It stopped walking for a moment and looked down at its knees.

"I remember what I said to my sister that day. I told her that I didn't want to be any kind of knees," the Reaper seethed with anger. "I just wanted to be a normal girl with normal knees!"

Dark flames formed under the Reaper's feet due to this outburst, which melted the snow around it, though it wasn't in any discomfort. It took a moment to calm down.

"I…I remember going through so much suffering…so much loss," the Reaper spoke with sorrow. "I remember having to move forward through it, one day at a time, and then…I was abducted. I thought I was gonna die, that I was never gonna see my friends again. Instead, I had the worst moments of my life forced in my mind, then I woke up…and saw…me…on the other side of the pool."

The Reaper stared down at its claws; its scythe gripped tightly in its right.

"Then I looked at my hands…and saw these…sharp…things where my fingers used to be," the Reaper could barely articulate the words. "I saw my reflection on the pool…and that's when I knew, I wasn't me at all; that the life I remember isn't even mine! I…I look at my knees sometimes and…I…I just—"

"I'm sorry," Ruby quietly interrupted. "I didn't know."

"Being a fake wouldn't be so bad if I just…wasn't so…angry," the Reaper gritted its teeth with rage. "I'm so angry, all the time! No matter what, I always think about hurting someone. I…I can't help it. I feel like there's this…monster inside me, and it makes me want to take these things and dig them deep into someone eyes 'til the blood comes out!"

Ruby's eyes widened in shock at the graphic description of its claws.

"I spend every waking moment keeping that monster locked away, deep inside me," the Reaper's voice softened. "I can hold it back, but it's always there. It's always…clawing at me from the inside. It never stops and it's always so angry…and hungry. Hangry…it's—"

"The desire to destroy. You really are Grimm," Ruby interrupted with a sad tone. "Have you ever…lost control?"

The Reaper paused, not out of remorse, but fear. It would choose death if it hurt an innocent, unwillingly or otherwise.

"I…no. No, I never lost control," the Reaper quivered with vulnerability. "At least…not yet, but…I'm so afraid of that. I have to be so careful, especially around people. Every time I move really fast, like my legs or arms, this fire comes out of my body and burns everything I touch. I…I remember how fun it was to be faster than everyone and move all over the place; it was my Semblance. I can still move like that, only now I can't run without the risk of setting someone on fire. And my eyes…they're so different than what I remember."

"You mean like my silver eyes?" Ruby asked, ignoring the obvious fact that the Reaper's eyes were clearly red.

"Mine are…different, the Reaper explained. "They're like the opposite of silver eyes, you know? Your eyes destroy Grimm and protect life; mine kill people, but don't work on Grimm."

"Huh," Ruby muttered. "We're kinda like two sides of the same coin. Wait, how do you know they kill people? I never seen you use them."

"Tyrian tried to stop me from getting you out of Salem's domain," the Reaper explained.

"You fought Tyrian?" Ruby asked with shock. "By yourself?"

"I murdered him," the Reaper admitted with shame. "All I had to do was look at him and think really hateful thoughts. It's…so easy for me to hate; so easy to make it a habit! Nothing should ever have this kind of power! It's too easy to abuse!"

The same thought occurred to Ruby, albeit without the awkward pause that would usually come from thinking the same thing at the same time. Normally, she would try to make the other person feel better about themselves, but it was still hard to have complete confidence in this Grimm.

"Can I…ask you something?" Ruby asked.

"Sure," the Reaper answered.

"You said you have my memories…that you remember living my life, but there's still a chance that Salem might have messed with the way you understand them," Ruby explained. "I still don't know if I can trust you. I just need to be sure, so…when I stood against the Leviathan and used my eyes on it, what was the very last thing I thought of before I turned it to stone?"

"The very last thing?" the Reaper reiterated.

"Please just tell me that much," Ruby pleaded. "Just tell me…why it meant so much."

After a brief delay, the Reaper nodded in understanding.

"It was your mom," the Reaper answered. "The last thing you thought of was your mom. You thought of her alive and well and…happy…and that made you happy, more than anything. She's the reason you wanted to be a Huntress. Even after everything, she's still your hero. Every time you run into a problem and don't know what to do, you think to yourself 'what would Mom do?' You look up to her every day."

Ruby was taken aback by the answer, barely holding the tears back. Her lips trembled and she gave the Reaper a smile.

"You are me," she said. "In every way."

"No, I'm not," the Reaper shook its head. "I'm a Grimm. I always have been."

"No, you're not like those monsters," Ruby tapped the Reaper's chest. "You've got a heart, and a soul; I can feel it!"

It stared at her in astonishment. This was nothing like the way the God of Darkness spoke to it. Even toward a copy of her, Ruby saw value in it.

"I…I don't…Ruby, how can you trust me?" the Reaper asked in disbelief. "I got us lost, I burned your arm, and I don't think it's gonna heal. Why…aren't you afraid of me?"

"I never told anybody those details," Ruby explained. "About Mom, I mean. Even when my friends see me use my eyes, they don't know what goes through my mind each time. I keep that stuff private. It makes me emotional even talking about it…but you knew. You even told me what she really meant to me."

Tears formed in Ruby's eyes, which she tried to laugh off.

"There's no way you're a monster," Ruby declared with a comforting smile. "I refuse to believe that. No monster could understand things like that! You're your own person."

"You said that same thing to Oscar…about being his own person," the Reaper said with a forced smile. "He had his own personality, even before Ozpin came in his life. I don't."

The smile quickly faded from Ruby's face.

"This isn't my personality; it's yours," the Reaper tapped its skull. "Your memories, your feelings, your life; that's the only thing separating me from a monster. I don't have any original thought in my mind. I wasn't even given a real name."

With that, the Reaper attempted to go back to walking. It was just about done with this exhausting getting-to-know-you stuff.

"Then you can have my name," Ruby spoke with heartfelt sincerity. This stopped the Reaper in its tracks. It listened in quiet anticipation. "I'll share it with you."

The Reaper's eyes widened at the sentiment, but its back still faced Ruby.

"You said that you're a copy," Ruby said. "That means you're just as much 'Ruby Rose' as I am."

The Reaper finally turned around and looked at her squarely in the eyes. Its limbs trembled with conflicting emotions.

"I guess you'll wanna be able to tell us apart," Ruby said innocently. "How about…Gruby? You know, Grimm Ruby, but for short?"

No vocal response came from the Reaper's lips. All that came was the gentle smile of something that was truly accepted as someone.


	7. RWBY Chibi: Filth

**I had a mental block on where to go from "Gruby" and couldn't decide what comes next, so I decided on something a little less serious for a change of pace. I was going to make this a separate one-shot involving Ruby and "Gruby", but because the latter is an OC (technically speaking), it would depend on whether or not somebody read the other chapters to have any impact. Therefore, this chapter can be considered a "RWBY Chibi" skit in the same universe as it uses those elements, but is considered non-canon to the rest of the story. **

Time quickly flew by for the two "Rubies." Their little heart-to-heart seemed to dissolve a lot of the tension from their desperate situation, or at least provide a distraction from it. Despite having walked for hours in the snow-filled middle of nowhere, they were in high spirits. It was much easier for a person to take their minds off the awful moments when they're replaced by moments like…

"Okay! My turn!" Ruby said. "What am I thinking of?"

"Let's see," the Reaper said with its claw over its cheek. "Is it something you eat?"

"Nope."

"Is it also a gun?"

"Nope."

"Hmm…that rules out cookies, strawberries, and every cool weapon ever," the Reaper mumbled. "That leaves…ah-hah! Perverted thoughts about ninjas!"

"Huh?" Ruby blinked repeatedly. "P-perverted…what?"

"You know…Ninjas of Love?" the Reaper said in a teasing tone.

"N-no! Nonononono!" Ruby said in desperation. "I mean…nope, never heard of it. Nevernevernever, nope!"

"Yes, you have," the Reaper gave her a snide smile and tapped its skull. "You snuck into Blake's things on the weekend before Salem built me. I remember it…with your memories."

"Nope! Nopenopenope!" Ruby covered her ears and shook her head. "You can't prove it!"

"No shadows can conceal the lust of one enigma for so long," the Reaper recited in a deep tone of its already distorted voice.

"Nope! Never read it! I don't read filth!"

"Ah-hah! You just said you never heard of it, now you said you never read it," the Reaper gave Ruby a knowing smirk. "How did you know it was a book if you never heard of it?"

"Because…you said…uh," Ruby stuttered.

"I didn't say it was a book," the Reaper explained. "I said you snuck into Blake's things. You filled in the blanks. See, I know how your mind works. You overlook stuff like that until it's too late."

"You," Ruby glared. "I take back all the nice things I said about you. You're evil! Eeeeviiil!"

"Who's more evil?" the Reaper smirked. "The Grimm that thinks of filthy novels or the person that the Grimm came from?"

"Salem made you in my image," Ruby dramatically pointed at the Reaper. "You poisoned my mind with evil! You made me unclean! Unclean!"

"So you do think perverted thoughts?"

"Well, I am now…but only because you put them in my mind," Ruby pointed at her head.

"I have _your_ mind," the Reaper pointed at its head. "You already think of them. If you didn't, I wouldn't think of them."

"But…you…Gruby!" Ruby snapped like she wanted to strangle her Grimm counterpart, who covered its mouth in an attempt to mask the great amusement it felt. "For the record, I _was_ thinking of a weapon."

"I know. It's a katana," the Reaper said. Ruby paused for a moment before she answered.

"Yeah," she admitted in defeat. "It's a katana. Please don't tell anybody…I…think of…stuff."

"It's okay," the Reaper nodded. "I have those thoughts too. I'm not gonna judge. Okay! My turn! What am I thinking of? And don't worry, it's not filth."


	8. Aisufurawa Part 1

Time quickly flew by for the two "Rubies." Their little heart-to-heart seemed to dissolve a lot of the tension from their desperate situation, or at least provide a distraction from it. Despite having walked for hours in the snow-filled middle of nowhere, they were in high spirits. It was much easier for a person to take their minds off the awful moments when they're replaced by moments like…

"So…Gruby," the Reaper squinted.

"Uh, I'm Ruby. You're Gruby," Ruby responded innocently.

"No, I mean I can't get over that name you gave me…_Gruby_," the Reaper cringed. "I know it means Grimm Ruby, but that just sounds…too edgy. It's got 'grr' at the start. I'm Grimm, but I'm not edgy."

"Okay. How about 'Gruby Grose?'" Ruby teased.

"Ew, no," the Reaper said. "Now you sound like a cartoon dog."

"Oooh! What about 'the Grimm Reaper?'"

"Okay. That's definitely a lot cooler," the Reaper nodded. "No, wait. That one's been taken. Maybe…'Grimm Slayer?'"

It stopped walking when it no longer heard Ruby's footsteps. When the Reaper turned around, it saw Ruby staring at the red sky. It was only now that it realized just how long they've been walking.

"It's getting late," Ruby said nervously. "Guess we better find another place to rest soon."

"Yeah," the Reaper frowned, knowing that this predicament was its fault. "We walked past some thick trees on the way here. If I'm careful, I might be able to—"

"To…what?" Ruby looked at her Grimm counterpart awkwardly. "Gruby?"

"Fear," it muttered, staring past a field of lightly snowed trees.

"Fear?"

"It's in that direction," the Reaper pointed at the trees. "The feeling is…muffled, kinda like a sock in someone's mouth, but there's fear over there. I think there might be other people!"

Ruby's eyes widened. She wasted no time running in that direction, but stopped to see the Reaper walking in a brisk, but much slower pace.

"Gruby, what's taking you? Come on!" Ruby yelled.

"I start fires when I run," the Reaper said with a look of guilt. "What if there is someone out there? I can't risk burning them."

Ruby's attention turned to the wound she got from the Reaper's scythe yesterday; the wound that still hadn't healed.

"And I can't risk letting someone else die because I was too late to do anything…_again_," Ruby responded in self-judgmental spite. "I'm sorry."

The Reaper moved its arm slightly toward Ruby in a half-hearted attempt to stop her. She was rushing into potential danger without so much as a scythe to defend herself. Deep down, however, it understood why she had to try. To do anything else could possibly be another death etched in her heart. Another person she was too late to save; it understood that feeling perfectly. With sad eyes, it only watched her run forward with her Semblance and followed the trail at a walking pace.

Despite the possibility of danger, Ruby was hopeful to an extent. Any chance of contact with another person was welcome after the past couple of days. With her Semblance, she arrived at a small village in seconds. It appeared mostly primitive, with brick houses to keep out the cold drafts and wooden fences with barbed wires on poles that…really didn't keep out anything, given how dilapidated they are. Even at a first glance, it's obvious that this place wasn't given much upkeep. Ruby's hopes quickly faded…and she yawned. Just looking at this place made her feel tired.

"Maybe it was all that walking from before," she muttered at first, and then called out. "Hello?"

There was no response. Maybe everybody went to sleep for the night. She knew it would be a little awkward to just knock on someone's door in the middle of the night, but two days of eating nothing but wilted berries and tree bark made her desperate. After a moment of hesitation, she knocked on the door.

"Hello? Anybody?" she yelled. No response. This wasn't normal. Did this have something to do with the fear the Reaper was talking about? There weren't any signs of damage, aside from the dilapidated fences.

"Maybe nobody lives there," Ruby assured herself. A larger building stood in the center of the village; an inn called the Ice Flower. On the side of the inn, there was a large rickety sign that read Aisufurawa.

"Eye-soo-fur-ah-wah," Ruby read aloud with awkward pauses. With a shrug, she slowly turned the handle and peeked inside. The counter where someone would check in was in plain sight, but nobody was working. From the looks of the cobwebs, nobody had even set foot in the inn for a while.

"Maybe…they're on a strike?" Ruby unconvincingly tried to assure herself. Things were too quiet for her liking, but that changed when she saw somebody on the other side of one of the house windows. They were too far away for her to single out any specific features, but it seemed like they were waving at her. The details didn't matter to her. It was somebody; that was the most important thing.

With a sigh of relief, Ruby ran toward the stranger. As she came closer, more and more things seemed off with this stranger. When it seemed like they were waving, she noticed that both of their arms were moving, not just one. When it seemed like they were settled in the house, they were actually leaning on the window itself. When it seemed like they were greeting her, their eyes appeared unresponsive and exhausted. And with that, a cold exhaustion came over Ruby as well. Something was very wrong.

She exercised caution and kept a couple feet of distance from the man. At least, she thinks they're a man. Their facial features were… off. She wished she had her Crescent Rose right about now. Just holding that thing takes some of the edge off.

"Excuse me, sir? I'm sorry I'm bothering you so late, but I was wondering if—"

Ruby's request was cut off by the sight of black and sickly claws around the man's throat. He twitched and tapped the window, but barely responded otherwise…even as the claws dug into his skin. Ruby was roused out of her exhaustion and covered her mouth in shock. Even with blood seeping from his wounds, his expression was not one of agony. It almost seemed…beckoning.

The claws quickly tore through the man's skull; bits of his brain smeared on the window. His orifices ran heavy with liquid and brain matter and pieces of his face were ripped off like confetti. The gory bloodshed left Ruby's mind blank for a few seconds until she collected herself…and saw the culprit. It was humanoid in shape, but had a hideous face that resembled a skull and a low-hanging jaw. Ruby recognized it immediately. It wasn't a person; it was an Apathy Grimm.

Another bust through the door near that window, while more appeared from behind the surrounding buildings. They slowly shuffled toward her from all sides with crooked limbs and vaguely human moans.

"Oh my god," Ruby quietly whispered to herself. "I can beat these things. It's just like Brunswick all over again."

Brunswick Farms…That was one little detour Ruby wanted to forget. Sure, it led to Maria teaching her to use her Silver Eyes at will, but what the Apathy did to her, her friends, and her loved ones was traumatizing, to say the least. The ability to drain the energy and willpower of their victims with their very presence made the Apathy more frightening than any fire-breathing kaiju-sized Grimm ever was.

Dealing with them shouldn't be too hard now, though. Ruby only needed to remember three things when pitted against the Apathy: stay calm, find a pack that was grouped together, and think happy thoughts. Just like that, the Apathy in her immediate line of sight were disintegrated by the silver beams. Looking back, it's a little hard to believe they were much of a threat to begin with. Sure, they had nearly killed her once, but that was only because she spent an entire night under their influence and the caverns she navigated were dark and full of spots even a pack could hide in. This time, they had no such advantage. The only weapons they had against her were their sheer numbers and their screams. A village could be overrun from a large enough horde, but if she was quick enough, killing them would be—

Ruby feel to her knees by a noise that pierced her ears and froze her spine. Not quick enough. A single shriek from the other Apathy was enough to make her feel weak. The next pack of Apathy fell just as quickly, but the feeling of weakness only got worse by another shriek. Ruby fell on her arms and just barely caught a glimpse of another pack. Even her thoughts began to slow, and her eyes didn't flash as quickly as she needed them to. A third shriek, and she could barely keep her eyes open. It was no use. There were too many of them surrounding her to disintegrate them all quickly enough. The Apathy's shrieks were so pervasive that even her happy thoughts faded into nothing.

Ruby couldn't focus or think. Her limbs were numb and her face was on the ground. Everything was quiet…peaceful even. There were no worries, no fears, no Apathy, no danger…only quiet. Her eyes were closing. She was about to sleep…until—

"Mommy?"

A young girl's voice roused Ruby out of her lethargy. She slowly pulled herself up to her knees. Was she already too late? She couldn't let it end like this. She couldn't fail. Not again.

"Mommy, get up."

Who was this little girl? She looked and sounded so young; so innocent. The girl wore a little green shirt with overalls, brown skin, and pigtails. Seeing this girl trying to wake her mother reminded Ruby of when she lost her mother. Thoughts of her mother filled Ruby's mind; how she lived…and the absence she left behind when she died. Ruby directed her gaze at another pack of Apathy; the one closest to the young girl. She focused on her mother standing near a gravestone with the words "Thus Kindly I Scatter." Her mother turned around, her face was revealed, and…turned into a skull. All Ruby can think about is that she died. That young girl's calls for her mother ended up morphing Ruby's thoughts of her own mother. The memory wasn't even a happy one now.

She took another look at the young girl, who was kneeled over an older woman that resembled her. That was probably the girl's mother. Behind them, the pack of Apathy closest to the mother and child slowly shambled toward them. Their moaning echoed in the air so hypnotically; it was like a lullaby.

"Mommy," the young girl pleaded, but in a lethargic tone.

"Not now," the mother softly replied. "Mommy's tired."

The Apathy shrieked again; this time, the girl collapsed next to the mother. Ruby desperately tried to hold a happy thought again. She couldn't let anyone else die. She crawled toward them in vain; a final desperate attempt to tell them to run. Their claws reached out to them, just as Ruby's hand reached out to them from afar.

It was here that Ruby completely lost control of her thoughts. The sight of this little girl lying next to her mother made her think of how she used to lay in her own mother's arms when she was so little. The memory was hazy, given how long ago it was, but she could see her mother's smiling face. It was so warm and tender. She heard her voice and felt a perverse calm across her body.

"Good night, my little rosebud."

Once again, there were no worries…only peace. The Apathy in front of her didn't seem so scary. Everything felt…okay.

"Good night…Mom," Ruby muttered with a sweet smile and then…her silver eyes inadvertently shined before they had a chance to close, which engulfed the pack of Apathy.

Ruby immediately came to her senses, as did the people in front of her. A sense of fear and dread crept in her heart. For once, she wasn't too late to save somebody, but it wasn't as if she had triumphed in any capacity. It was an accident. That simple fact made Ruby aware of just how badly she screwed up. She threw caution in the wind and nearly got herself killed for it. The only thing that saved her was an accident. What choice did she have, though? She couldn't relive that moment of "being too late." Not again.

Some of her strength already returned from that pack's disintegration; Ruby was able to stand on her feet. Her attention remained on the mother and child, who still looked exhausted. The mother was more alert than before, but the child was exhausted. Ruby quickly ran toward the two, shambling from the Apathy's residual effects. The mother noticed Ruby and clutched her child in her arms.

"Who…who are—"

"I'm a Huntress. I know you're scared, but I don't have a lot of time to explain right now," Ruby said quickly, not wanting to waste what little time she had. The next choice might decide the fate of these two innocents, and she didn't have a lot of time to think it over. Should she tell them to evacuate the village until the Apathy has been exterminated, and possibly run the risk of them getting attacked by Grimm that might be outside the village while she's occupied? Or should she keep them close by where she knows she can protect them? But what if she fails to use her silver eyes when she needs to? She didn't have the Relic of Knowledge to stop time again.

"Rabenda," the unfamiliar voice of a young boy said. "What's wrong…with Rabenda?"

Ruby found the source of the voice cuddled near the mother. It was another child; a boy with plain clothes and dark skin that matched the others. He looked no older than that young girl, but he seemed tired. Ruby didn't even notice him until now, but that makes three people to protect.

"Rabenda," the mother spoke in desperation. "Rabenda!"

"You've got to leave…now!" Ruby ordered. "It's too dangerous here!"

"But…that light. What—"

"We don't have time!" Ruby assured. "Just get as far away from the village as you can and find help."

"I…I," the mother muttered weakly.

"Mommy?" the boy pleaded. "I'm scared."

The boy clung to his mother's leg, who returned the sentiment and kept him close with one hand and wrapped around her daughter with the other. Despite the newfound understanding of her recklessness and what it nearly cost her, Ruby ventured further into the village in the hopes that there were more survivors. Reluctantly, the family left the remnants of their home behind. With nowhere to go, the three were left to wander aimlessly, but what other choice did they have? They ran.

Unfortunately, it only took a minute for the family to run straight into another pack of Apathy, just outside the village.

"Monsters!" the boy yelled. The mother gasped in fear, clutching her children out of instinct. One quick moment of carelessness and they were already surrounded. Without so much as a chance to flee, the Apathy shrieked and the mother and boy collapsed; her grip loosened over her daughter. Drawing closer, the Apathy had the three all but trapped. Their claws slowly came toward their next victims until…another set of claws intervened.

The one Apathy closest to the family moaned in pain when its claw sank into its skull from behind. Flames immolated its skull from the inside and came out of the orifices of its face; its moans grew louder and more painful. The claws wrenched the Apathy away from its would-be victims and twisted its neck just enough to make it face the very angry Reaper behind it. The Apathy could only emit a single grunt before it had both of its jaws torn apart in one swift motion. It fell on its knees, unable to make a sound, before the Reaper thrust its claw through its skull and dropped its on the ground dead.

From here on out, the remaining Apathy turned their attention toward the Reaper, who kept its movements slow and precise enough to avoid unleashing any flames on the family mere feet away from it. That meant no running and no swinging around the scythe wrapped around its back. It had to keep all its power and anger contained. The result was a much colder and more controlled hatred for the Apathy than the fire and howling it unleashed on the Revenants. No words, no outward emotion, no facial expressions. Whatever it took to prevent a repeat of Ruby's arm burnt to the bone.

The Reaper grabbed the next Apathy by the throat with one claw and its elongated arm by the other. With a vile glare that could make even the Apathy's gaze seem tame, the Reaper ripped the next Apathy's arm off, only to impale its skull with its own claws and toss it aside like garbage. The next one had its pelvis crushed under the Reaper's foot and its legs ripped off before finally having its skull crushed by the same foot. The impact also caused the ground beneath the Reaper's foot to crack.

The mother watched the cold violence with her hands over her mouth. The boy turned his gaze into his mother's shoulder, unable to watch the Reaper's cruelty upon its own species.

It approached the next Apathy with all the drama of a casual stroll, which responded to the Reaper's approach with its signature shriek. A futile effort; the source of the Apathy's power was that of all Grimm. It was negativity; the very thing the Reaper drew strength from. Unfazed, the Reaper grabbed the Apathy by the jaw mid-shriek and snapped it off. With its other claw grasping the Apathy's skull, it jammed its snapped jaw into one of its eye sockets and dropped its body to the ground.

The final Apathy shrieked once again with no effect. The Reaper walked toward its prey slowly; its claws curled inward being the only thing showing hostility. Without taking its emotionless face off the Apathy, it stepped on the other one's skull and slowly pressed down on it with a sickening pop. The final Apathy shrieked again; not with hostility, but terror. Its limbs quivered and its back hunched over; the terrifying zombie-like Grimm was itself, terrified.

With panicked moans and shaking limbs, it backed away from the Reaper in an attempt to flee for its life, but its slow body could only afford it so much distance. Drawing strength from its terror, the Reaper pursued this Apathy with the same stunted speed; with none of the presence of a Huntress…and all of the presence of a silent serial killer wearing a mask in a horror movie.

The Apathy shambled away, moaning and shrieking. Was that its way of calling for help or just the final terrified moments of its life? The Reaper slowly gained on it like a slow and ruthless predator, and the Apathy's movement grew more frantic. It tripped and fell to its withered legs; its body unused to quick movements. With a final shriek of terror, the Reaper grabbed it by the skull. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on the Reaper. The Apathy claim the lives of their victims when they're weak and unable to fight back. The sight of such a creature in the same state was poetic. Even with the memories and heart of a Huntress, the Reaper knew it was still very much a Grimm. Holding its impulses back every passing moment would always take effort. It always had to stay in control, but for now, it could very much let these impulses out.

And so, it sank its fangs on the unfortunate Apathy's face, wrenching the bones of its skull in pieces and spitting them out. This savagery continued when it sank its claws into the Apathy's chest and peeled it open like a banana. For this one moment, it relished the destruction it brought upon the Grimm. It was like relieving stress that was pent up for days. The pleasure only faded when it saw the terrified faces of the mother and boy and watched it the entire time.

When it saw their eyes and felt the fear in their hearts, it buried its impulses once more. Did it lose control, or did it simply choose to let go? What could it say to these frightened people, who it did everything in its power to save? It reached out to them, wanting to help; to comfort, and it took a step toward them.

"Monster!" the boy shouted and pointed at the Reaper.

This declaration wounded it more deeply than any Grimm ever could, but it was true. Deep beneath its copied personality, there was something very terrifying. It turned away and uttered one sentence.

"I'm sorry I scared you."


	9. Aisufurawa Part 2

With most of the Apathy in and around the village killed, the Reaper expected the overall panic and negativity in the village to decrease. Instead, it was the opposite. The village was in more of a panic now than ever. It should have been obvious what was happening, but both it and Ruby were too occupied with the Apathy themselves to realize it.

The Apathy's presence masked most of the negativity with a perverse sense of calm that the Reaper could only sense upon close proximity to the village. With most of them dead, the calm faded and the terrible situation began to set in for those that were fortunate enough to survive. Ruined homes, broken families, and bloodshed; all were a result of the destruction that devastated Aisufurawa before the Rubies even arrived.

The Reaper explored the village slowly, taking care not to leave behind any flames from a quick movement, inadvertently or otherwise. Many of the survivors here rose from their Apathy-induced lethargy and were now forced to confront the tragedy that befell them. There was anger, fear, but most of all, sorrow; all of which came from such a senseless massacre. Just about any human or Faunus would either be afraid, sympathetic, or both for what happened here, but for the Reaper, this was brought to a greater level. It _felt_ their negativity literally in its psyche.

The pain of losing a husband and child, of being homeless and destitute, of all hope lost; all of these were feelings that Ruby, and by extension, the Reaper should never be able to completely understand. And yet, these feelings were exposed to it freely. The Reaper need only have a glimpse to read their agony like a book. Amidst all of the suffering, there was one iota of positivity; a silver light that shined behind the dilapidated buildings nearby. When most of the villagers were on the verge of completely succumbing to despair, a meager few looked to the light.

Ruby's light, her silver eyes; they shined over and over, which meant that more and more Grimm fell by her gaze. Ironically, the Reaper's condition meant that it couldn't look toward the light for hope. When the average person could bask in it without harm, even looking at the light was like staring into the sun for the Reaper; its eyes squinted and it was forced to shield them with its claw.

Doing its best to ignore the discomfort, it approached the light. It couldn't rush to action without collateral damage, which made even walking around a building take up precious time. To make things worse, a lot of the sorrow around the Reaper turned to fear.

"Grimm!" a man yelled, though the Reaper was unsure exactly who or where it came from. Immediately, the villagers around the Reaper panicked while it looked around for any Grimm that Ruby may have missed. It found none; just a group of terrified survivors. It was about to walk over to somebody and ask where the Grimm were coming from…until it noticed the way that man stared at it. The Reaper itself was the Grimm the villagers were terrified of.

"Right," it said with its claw over its face. Given the reaction of the few survivors that witnessed it fight off the Apathy firsthand, it was little surprise that the rest would be equally as terrified. Doubly so in fact, since it was a human-shaped Grimm. Aside from its scythe and dress-like membrane over its body, it could easily be mistaken for some kind of "female Apathy" to the civilian eye.

"That thing's got a scythe!" he yelled and pointed at the Reaper. The other survivors reacted in a flood of panic; the screams made the rest of the spoken words inaudible.

"Okay, stay cool, Ruby…uh, Gruby," the Reaper muttered to itself. "Right, I'm Gruby now. I mean I was always Gruby. I just remember being Ruby and…wait, who am I talking to ag—"

The Reaper's "conversation" was interrupted by a Dust round to the head. A jolt of lightning permeated its skin. It didn't inflict any real damage, but the blow came suddenly and forced it to shield its face. Another lightning Dust round struck its arm; again, this did no damage. Its body was too resilient. The Reaper peeked from its claws to see a human pointing a rifle at it. A spark came from the muzzle followed by a third round; this time, to the forehead.

The impact forced the Reaper to take a step back, but it never took its eye off the shooter's weapon. It looked ordinary; no blade attachments or revolving chambers. The gun didn't have any features that were dramatic or exaggerated, which meant that it probably didn't belong to a Huntsman. It looked more like a civilian's weapon…no, a villager's weapon.

"Wait!" the Reaper yelled, its claws held out openly. "I'm not one of them! I'm—"

A fourth round struck it, this time in the back. The Reaper looked behind it to see another gun pointed at it. The cavalcade of fear and anger all around it made it hard to keep a clear head, but it noticed both shooters joining together with a third one.

"Please just hear me out!" it yelled, backing away from the attacking survivors. "I don't work for Sa—"

More shots were fired; one of them struck the Reaper's chest. As sturdy as its body was designed to be, the shock across its center mass made it flinch in pain briefly. Two more survivors, one male and one female, came from the direction it was backing into. When it turned to see them coming, one of them clubbed it across the jaw with a metal sledgehammer. The impact briefly knocked it off balance, but it steadied itself before it fell to the ground. Its ears ringed; the sound was more like a hammer striking a hot iron at a forge, rather than a shattered bone or a sickening thump.

"Kill it! Kill it!" one of the survivors nearby yelled. The Reaper glared at the sledgehammer-holding attacker with a silent anger. When he attempted to hit it again, it caught the wooden handle mid-swing and snapped it like a popsicle stick with a squeeze. The anger in his eyes briefly turned to fear, but the other attacker stabbed the Reaper with a knife…or at least tried to. The knife snapped when it collided on its chest and left only a single mark, and the collective negativity of every person in the remnants of this village constantly mended any injuries it sustained in seconds.

"Stop! I'm not here to—"

The Reaper's pleas were interrupted by the weight of the sledgehammer wielding man that climbed on top of it. It could still stand with such weight, but the attacking survivor clubbed the top of its skull with the blunt end of the snapped sledgehammer over and over again. The Reaper gritted its teeth; the sound and feeling of a hammer hitting its head like a nail caused it visible discomfort.

"Get out of my way!" one of the rifle wielding survivors yelled. They couldn't get a good shot at the Reaper with that man on top of it.

"Please," the Reaper said softly. "I'm not…like those monsters."

The Reaper closed its eyes and braced itself for more attacks. It kept its claws clenched inward, making sure not to cut someone by mistake.

"Don't give in. Don't give in. Don't give in," the Reaper muttered a mantra. "No sudden movements. No lashing out. No hate. Whatever you do, don't hate!"

An invisible struggle took place within the Reaper's heart like a sentient volcano that was trying to erupt. Every Grimm impulse and reflex wanted nothing more than to fight back and murder everyone around it, but its copied personality did everything it could to keep its destructive impulses in check. It couldn't hate these people. It couldn't let itself. Hate is what fuels the power of its destructive eyes. Someone could die if that happened. It couldn't let that happen. It had to pardon them, no matter what. It had to force itself to forgive.

"I said get out of my way!" they yelled, followed by a gunshot. The weight on the Reaper's shoulders slumped off…and fell to the ground. His body twitched with electricity and he coughed blood from his mouth. The Reaper turned around and looked at the wounded man in horror.

The other two survivors shot the Reaper at the same time; one at the face, the other at the chest.

"Stop! You hit him! He—" the Reaper yelled until the woman that stabbed it earlier resorted to grabbing it by the throat with both hands and strangling it. The Reaper looked in the face of its furious attacker; mucus and saliva oozed out of the orifices of her face. This woman was less like a person and more like a dog diagnosed with rabies. At such a close range, it could sense all of the hatred in her heart…but there was little other negativity outside of that hate. This was almost…inhuman. It hadn't noticed until now due to the constant attacks, but most of the other negative emotions it noticed earlier, like sadness and fear, had dissipated in favor of pure hatred.

"What's wrong with you?" the Reaper asked, unfazed by this woman's attempts to strangle it.

At first, it seemed like these people attacked out of fear for their own lives, but this sudden surge of hatred wasn't normal. It was irrational how much they wanted to kill it, even with the willingness to endanger their own. This woman was another example. She completely ignored the bleeding man lying next to her in an attempt to claw out the Reaper's eyes. It blinked and turned its face away out of reflex and finally grabbed her arms to restrain her. Unfortunately, its neglected to curl its claws as it did so, and they slit the flesh on her arm.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I—" the Reaper had time to say before a gunshot struck the woman's back. Her electrocuted body fell into the Reaper's claws. It turned its anguished gaze toward those responsible for shooting this woman.

"Why did you do that? She was your—" the Reaper stopped when it noticed how another survivor entered the scene and violently assaulted one of the shooters with a chair. That man was then shot by one of the other two shooters, and then he was assaulted by a completely different person while he was down. Another man jumped into the fray armed with a sword and ran one of the shooters through, then another woman chopped that man's back with an axe. More and more people ran into the scene with bloodthirsty intent; they were killing each other.

"I…I don't get it!" the Reaper stared at the scene in horror. "What's happening to them?"

It was about to run deeper into town to look for some help for the woman in its arms. She was still breathing. It had to find someone that could help her…only to find the first step it took caused its leg to exude dark flames beneath its foot.

"Oh come on!" the Reaper complained about its predicament. It was still in a populated area and couldn't risk running, especially with someone in its arms, so it walked. It felt wrong just leaving all those people to fight among themselves, but anything it could try in that situation would, in all probability, have fatal consequences. When it reached a large water fountain in the center of the village, two more people ran toward the Reaper. It glanced down at the woman in its arms and tried to explain the situation.

"It wasn't me, I swear! I didn't—" was all the Reaper had time to say before the two attacked and it turned around to shield the woman with its own body. As usual, the axes weren't very effective weapons against its skin. Even after repeated strikes, they left only small marks that quickly healed from the inherent negativity in the area.

"Kill it!" one of them shouted. It couldn't see which of the two said that, but his voice sounded psychotic. Did he lose his mind too? It endured more blows to the back, clutching the woman in its arms…until it heard a familiar voice.

"Get back!" Ruby yelled. The Reaper turned around and saw a faint glint come from her eyes. In that split second, it knew what was coming and shielded its own body with the woman's before the silver light completely engulfed it. Its arms and claws were still exposed; it screamed from the excruciating pain and fell to the ground with the woman in its petrified arms. Oddly enough, the two men that were just attacking it also fell to the ground. Given the fact that the silver eyes didn't harm people, this made no sense.

"Oh my god!" Ruby gasped with her hands clasped over her mouth. "Gruby! I'm so sorry! I thought you were an Apathy! I didn't see your face!"

"Ruby," it said weakly. "The people…there's something wrong with them!"

"Your arms," Ruby said with remorse, gently holding the Reaper's petrified arms. "I..."

"They're killing...each other," the Reaper said, looking into Ruby's eyes with desperation. "So much...hate. Saw it...in their hearts. Like...they're possessed."

Ruby looked back at the two men on the ground, confused. The Reaper slouched on its back and used its petrified elbows to hoist itself up.

"Help them...please," it said. "I...I couldn't...do anything."


	10. Aisufurawa Part 3

Reluctantly, Ruby left the Reaper behind to see what's wrong with the villagers; to see how they could be "possessed." She would have stayed behind to listen to a more complete version of the events, or even to work together with the Reaper, but past experiences taught her that every second is precious in an emergency. Being too late to save Pyrrha in the Fall of Beacon taught her that much. The Reaper must have known that as well; it only gave Ruby the bare minimum information before it pleaded with her to help them.

It didn't take long for her to find them, even without a hint from the Reaper as to where they actually were. There were bloodstains on the ground in a trail that led past the inn. She ran to the scene, expecting to find some simpler explanation for what the Reaper told her; either a Grimm that could possess the villagers or just in-fighting brought about by the recent devastation. What she found was…many villagers lying on the ground motionless.

"Am I too late?" Ruby quietly asked herself. The thought terrified her; that even with the greatest possible haste, she was still too late to save the innocent. They weren't fighting like the Reaper said, just…lying there.

"Okay," she muttered. "Whatever did this couldn't have gone far."

She moved at a much slower pace, her feet touched the ground heel-to-toe to avoid making noise. If she was ambushed from behind without a weapon, she would surely die, with or without a pair of silver Grimm-disintegrating eyes. Her eyes peeled toward every rooftop, window, and even the villagers themselves. Anywhere that something or someone could hide, she watched carefully. After that close scrape with death against the Apathy, she knew she needed to be more cautious when she was alone.

One of the villagers' limbs twitched when she walked past them, which caused her to gasp and take a step back. Her sudden shock turned to concern when he slowly rolled on his back, looking at Ruby with a blank stare.

"H-help," he pleaded with a quivering jaw. Ruby dropped all pretense of caution and came to this man's side. When she lifted his head off the ground and turned him over, her own arms started to shake.

"You're gonna be okay," Ruby said with tears sliding freely down her eyes. "I'm here to save you! You're gonna be okay!"

The man had tears in his eyes and saliva oozing from his mouth; to say he was emotionally battered was an understatement. In addition, she saw the bloody gash across the man's chest after she turned him over, which made her scared as well. She saw his lips move, but his words were inaudible. All of a sudden, a stream of vomit burst from his mouth and struck Ruby across the shoulder and face. A tiny bit of it struck her lips which made her feel sick.

"Ew!" she yelled, spitting out this man's disgusting vomit and wiping off the rest with the end of her cape. "Ewewewewew!"

The stench of vomit and blood filled her nostrils. This was so different from the stories of heroes that protected people. This was all too gritty.

"H-help," the wounded man muttered. He coughed out blood and his limbs seized up.

"Hang in there!" Ruby yelled. She didn't have any a Healing Semblance, or medicine, or…anything. What could she do…besides take one of the weapons nearby and put him out of his—

"No! I can't think like that," she said to herself. "There has to be a better way."

She tried to think of a solution, but the only thing that went through her mind was that he needed medical attention before he bled to death…even though she didn't have any medical supplies…and she wasn't a doctor…and there probably weren't any doctors for miles.

"I'll, uh…I'll find something around here that can help and…and," Ruby said, clinging desperately to hope. She didn't even get a chance to finish the sentence before the wounded man stopped moving altogether. Ruby stared quietly at his lifeless eyes. She reached out to him, to coax out some semblance of life, but to no avail. More tears freely fell from her eyes. It was another life senseless taken away.

Her eyes drifted toward a blood-soaked axe lying nearby. Just from the look of it, the blade was large enough to inflict the wound this man succumbed to. The sight of more bloodied weapons and mangled corpses scattered across the ground at least confirmed one thing. The Apathy didn't do this. The villagers that remained here took up arms and killed each other, just as the Reaper said. There's no other explanation.

"Why?" Ruby asked, another tear fell from her face. Even after everything she did to save the people here, her efforts were all in vain. She'd went through failure before, but nothing like this. Nothing so…cruel. With nothing else to be done for these people, Ruby left the scene back where she came from. The only thought on her mind was hunting down whatever made this happen…whatever made the people kill each other. She couldn't let anyone else die…especially like this.

Ruby went back to the corner of the village where she left the Reaper. It was still there, next to the two villagers that collapsed next to it. Unlike the corpses Ruby left behind, these two didn't appear to have any major wounds. The Reaper itself was lying down with its petrified claws over its chest. Ruby collected herself and wiped the tears from her face before she approached it. The Reaper looked up to see her.

"Ruby," it said weakly. "The people…did you—"

It stopped when it saw the quiet misery in Ruby's eyes; its gaze begged her not to say the words.

"I was too late," Ruby said, monotone. She turned away, unable to look at her Grimm self. The Reaper looked at her petrified claws, feeling powerless for the second time since it was created. Even with claws that could tear flesh like butter and a body that could withstand most forms of attack without effort, silver eyes excluded, it still couldn't make a positive difference. Burning hot tears came down its cheeks; the ground sizzled and rotted where they landed.

"I'm…sorry," it said with remorse. "I…I couldn't…do anything."

Ruby still had her suspicions about what the Reaper really saw, but the sight of these tears garnered some sympathy from her.

"The hate…it's gone," the Reaper said. "Those two…don't have…any negativity…left. They were…like that…when you—"

It gritted its fangs in pain before it finished the sentence, but Ruby could put two and two together. She remembered how saw them attacking the Reaper earlier when she thought it was an Apathy. They probably thought it was one of them, too. She remembered when she used her silver eyes on the Reaper by mistake…and how they fell to the ground comatose immediately afterwards.

"Your arms," Ruby said with concern. "You can't break free?"

"No…negativity," the Reaper responded weakly. "I get stronger…from negativity. I'm…Grimm."

Taking a brief moment to take in her Grimm self's words, Ruby's attention went toward her burned arm. She vaguely remembered how easily it broke free when it was encased in stone last time, or at least the fact that she was in horrible pain when it did. She unwrapped the piece of cape around her burn wound enough to expose it to the air.

"What…are you—" the Reaper asked.

Ruby inserted her finger in her wound, deep into the muscle. Her face contorted in pain, but she didn't stop. The Reaper could see the pain…and feel the negativity she was inflicting upon herself, and its own strength returning.

"Ruby, stop!" it yelled. She ignored it, digging her finger deeper until she literally touched a nerve. The sharp pain was excruciating; she couldn't withhold her anguished screams, but it was enough negativity for the Reaper to break its arms loose from the stone. It quickly stood up, no longer weakened by Ruby's use of her eyes. Ruby pulled her finger out and clutched her wound with her hand to stifle the pain.

"Ruby," the Reaper said with a frown, feeling responsible for her pain. "Thanks…I—"

"Heh…sure," Ruby gave it a weak smile. "My power comes from positivity. Yours comes from negativity. Perfect complementary teamwork, right?"

The two gave a quick laugh and Ruby released her arm, letting the Reaper reapply the cape over her wound. It kept its claws curled inward as it did so, to avoid tearing into her flesh by accident. When it was finished, the two looked each other in the eye, and then away.

"Ruby, don't do that ever again," the Reaper said with a frown.

"Not even to help you?" Ruby asked, concerned about her Grimm self's well-being.

"It's bad enough you got that burn because I made a mistake," the Reaper explained with visible guilt. "The last thing I want is to cause any more pain."

Now strengthened enough to walk again, the Reaper stood back up and offered Ruby the palm of its claw; its razor sharp nails curved inward. She took it, and it casually lifted her off the ground until her grip loosened and her feet touched the ground.

"Gruby, you have to tell me what happened," Ruby said sternly. "What's going on? Why did they kill each other?"

"I told you," the Reaper answered. "It was like they were possessed. I don't know what caused it, but I saw so much hate in them. It was almost like they were Grimm themselves."

"My eyes," Ruby muttered, looking down at the two comatose villagers. "They did something to them, even though they shouldn't affect people."

"Yeah," the Reaper added. "When you…uh, hurt me with that light, the hate…it went away."

"You mean when I used my eyes on them, not you?"

"Uh…maybe. It all happened so fast."

Ruby paused, trying to believe the words of her Grimm self, but it was getting difficult to give it the benefit of the doubt.

"You had to have seen something," Ruby said. "When I got to this village first, it was full of Apathy. The people here weren't going crazy. They were just tired. They couldn't fight at all, let alone fight each other."

"I know. I killed some of them on my way here, but they weren't causing the people to hate," the Reaper said, shaking its head. "I don't know what did! If there were any other Grimm, I would have sensed them."

"People don't just murder each other for no reason!" Ruby yelled, her hands curled into fists.

"I know!" the Reaper yelled, its hands also curled. "But…that's what I saw! All their fear and sadness became hate out of nowhere! They just snapped! I saw it the moment I—" the Reaper paused, its face displayed intense guilt. "—set foot…in the village."

Ruby's face mimicked the Reaper's and the tension faded from her arms.

"What are you saying?" she asked quietly. The Reaper turned away, unresponsive, but the guilt on its face never wavered.

"Gruby?" she asked again, with a tone of desperation.

"No," it said softly. "No, no, no. It can't be."

The possibility hadn't occurred to it until just now, but Salem was the one that created the Reaper. Her goal had always been to divide humanity, by whatever means. Putting that information together with what it saw, it seemed possible that there was a Grimm involved; one that even the Reaper wouldn't have noticed. That Grimm was…itself. It started to believe that it had actually made the people succumb to hatred with its mere presence.

"You…you don't think—" Ruby asked, having quietly come to the same conclusion.

"I…I think I sense…more Grimm…over there," the Reaper feebly said, pointing toward a small mountain that stretched at least hundreds of feet away from the village. "I…I better kill them before they're drawn here by my presence.

"How many?" she asked. "Maybe I should come with you."

"No, you stay here because…because some of them might run past me," it explained, fumbling over its own words. "You know I start fires when I run. If I go after them, I might burn down what's left of this place. Someone needs to stay here just in case."

Ruby said nothing, but her facial expression betrayed her silence. There was a deep-seated loathing in the Reaper, and Ruby knew it.

"Yeah," the Reaper assured itself. "It would be better that way. I can…I can still fight. I can kill. It's so easy for me. That's how I can do good…by killing monsters. It's all I'm good for. You can protect people. You can stay by them…and give them hope. You don't have to be afraid."

"Afraid?" Ruby shook her head, her mouth agape from the Reaper's words. "Why are you saying things like that? What are you afraid of?"

The Reaper walked away, not saying another word. She was right. It was afraid. Deep down, they both knew the reason why. They both knew the reason why it had to get away from the village, but neither had the courage to say it out loud. It was for that reason that Ruby didn't make an attempt to stop the Reaper from leaving. Her attention turned to the two remaining villagers that were still barely alive. She had to try to help them; she was the only one that could try.

There were, of course, no Grimm in the Reaper's path. It was a lie; an excuse to get away from civilization. It found a small indent on the mountain slope and leaned on it. As it did so, its claw scraped along the rocky slope and left a mark; a cruel reminder of how dangerous it was…even when it meant no harm. It looked up at the shattered moon in the sky, the product of the God of Darkness' casual destruction, and then looked down at its claws once more. Thinking of the people that murdered their own in their hate-filled haze, the Reaper slumped to the cold ground and sobbed freely. Burns and famine appeared in the dirt where its tears struck, like acid that dissolved any metal it touched.


	11. Visions of Summer Leaves

A few hours had passed since the Reaper left the village to "hunt down the Grimm." Ruby already suspected the truth behind its departure, but she remained behind to tend to the two remaining survivors. The first thing that came to mind was getting them off the cold, hard ground and on to warm, soft beds…which was easier said than done. It turned out that dragging bodies, even one at a time, was quite taxing for her. Not only physically, given her petite figure, but emotionally as well. This reminded her of the frightening moment she had to drag her poisoned uncle across the continent, only she had help from Team JNR at the time.

Now Ruby was alone in this ruined village, with only her worries to keep her company. As often as she reminded herself to stay positive and hopeful, even she felt pessimistic after all of this. It was hard to justify that "things would be okay." Strangely enough, there was one small thing that was going her way right now. Ever since the Reaper left, the pain that resulted from her burn ebbed away. The wound was still there, of course, but it didn't hurt to move her arm around. What was also strange was how comfortable she had been from the Reaper's presence, given that it was still a Grimm and one of Salem's creations, no less. Even her friends and family wouldn't believe it if she told them. It had only been two nights, but she felt like she had known it her whole life. In a way, she had; the two did have a lot in common.

Ruby avoided passing by the corpses in the center of the village and took a detour around the inn when she dragged the two survivors; she couldn't bear to look at them. Even thinking of the traumatic sight brought tears to her eyes, and she couldn't afford to fall apart now. When she finally got the two settled on beds, (thankfully, she didn't have to climb stairs) she happened on a small apple on a nearby desk. After dealing with the separation of everyone she held dear and one life-threatening situation after another, it seemed ridiculous to think about something so mundane.

And yet… the apple told a story. There was a bite mark on it, which suggested that it belonged to someone, but they didn't bother to finish it. There were no bodies in the room before she dragged the survivors in, sleeping or dead, which suggested that the apple belonged to a guest that stayed for the night. There weren't any other belongings lying around, which probably meant that they were fortunate enough to leave before the Apathy descended upon the village. Maybe they were just in a hurry to leave and forgot about it?

Another thing this single apple revealed was the fact that the room hadn't been cleaned. Normally, a guest room would be kept tidy just in case someone needed a place to sleep in their travels. The Apathy's presence would, of course, render whoever's responsible for room service to be too tired to do anything. The beds were also messy when she dragged the survivors on them, which further proved the point. Nobody would have come here, put an apple on the desk, and then left the room, all under the effects of the Apathy.

Ruby wondered if there were any records of when guests came and left. If she could find that and the cleaning schedule, it might be possible to pinpoint the exact moment that the Apathy came to—

"Oh," she said when her stomach growled. In the midst of all that adversity, it was easy to forget the simpler things…like how it's been two days since she had real food. She hastily grabbed the apple and took a huge bite, followed by another. She was normally averse to thievery, but it's not like anybody would mind.

"I'll never get back to fighting Salem on an empty stomach," she muttered. Discarding the empty apple core, she looked around the inn for a pantry. Luckily for her, it didn't take long to find it. Using her scroll's flashlight to look around, she discovered many bottles of wine and alcohol in the basement. She sighed in annoyance; it was just like Brunswick all over again.

"I'm just really tired and I really, really hate this place," Ruby said in a tone that mimicked Weiss' voice.

"Aw, come on, Weiss. I know it's hard now, but we'll pull through like we always have!" Ruby said. "We've just got to work together. We'll make the world better. I know it!"

"Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale," Ruby said in a tone that mimicked Blake's voice.

"Well, that's why we're here! To make it better," Ruby said.

"Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" Ruby said in a tone that mimicked Yang's voice. She wrapped her arms around herself like she was giving someone a big hug and closed her eyes.

"I'm so proud of my team, too!" Ruby said, returning the "hug." She opened her eyes to see that she was still alone. Her smile faded when her mind came back to reality.

"Aaand I'm talking to nobody," Ruby said. "I'm really starting to lose it."

Further exploring the pantry, she found another cupboard with tightly rolled bags. Inspecting one of them, she let out a yelp when she realized what it was.

"Bread!" she cheered with wide eyes. She unwrapped the loaf and gobbled it like a ravenous beast. Not stopping with the bread, she raided another cupboard and found peaches in a bottle. Prying the metal lid off, she hastily guzzled the contents, letting the water leak out from her mouth. Then, she dropped the bottle, guzzled another one, and wiped her mouth.

"See, Weiss," Ruby muttered between breaths. "Didn't even need salt." She paused. "And I'm still talking to nobody."

She went back upstairs to check on the survivors. They were still comatose, but they weren't leaking mucus or saliva anymore. They almost seemed…peaceful, like they were just sleeping. The sight relieved Ruby to some extent; maybe she did save a few people after all. This left her with a new worry, however. How could she explain to them what had happened? How could she tell them that their own friends, their own family, murdered one another in some hate-induced frenzy? In fact, how could she tell them that they too fell under this state? What if they killed some of their own? How would they live with that?

Answers for another time; she was exhausted. The last two days have been such an ordeal and Ruby needed rest. She plopped on the other bed in the guest room, not bothering to even take off her shoes or cape, and closed her eyes.

She found herself standing in front of a familiar gravestone on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. The feeling of grass under her bare feet, the smell of cookies in the air, and the beautiful sunset in the sky, it all felt like home. It was Patch, her home, and she was standing in front of her mother's grave. Her surroundings were eerily quiet, but she could make out a single word: "Rosebud."

Several gusts of white summer leaves blew through the air all around Ruby and coalesced into a pile, which morphed into a tall figure wearing a white robe. She tried to respond, but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. She tried to move, but her limbs remained still. The figure turned around and revealed her face; it looked just like Ruby's. It was her mother.

All of Ruby's thoughts focused on her; she'd forgotten about everything else. She wanted to hug her, to say all the things she needed to say, but she still couldn't move or speak. She couldn't even blink or turn away. She was just there. Her mother looked at her with a deep sadness, but that was nothing compared to the most pervasive words she'd ever heard in her life.

"Your mother said those words to me."

The grass turned brown and the sky turned dark. Tears came down her mother's eyes and she reached out toward Ruby, but the cruel and painful voice destroyed the moment.

"She was wrong, too."

Her mother burst into the white summer leaves that formed her, leaving no body behind. The entire cliff collapsed, taking the grave with it, and the world grew dark. The ground beneath her rumbled and she heard a much kinder voice bellow in the wind.

"I never meant for this to happen."

"Moooom!" Ruby screamed. Tears came from her eyes when she jolted up from the bed. She was back in the inn. It was a nightmare; a movie without a happy ending. Daylight came through the windows; the sheer brightness of the light meant she'd slept well past the sunrise. Taking a moment to collect herself, she got out of bed to look at her feet. They weren't bare like in the nightmare; she never took off her shoes.

Her attention shifted toward the two survivors that laid on the other bed; they haven't even moved. Even their disheveled poses were the same as when she dragged them on that bed. A more optimistic way of putting it was that they weren't getting any worse. She stood up to get a closer look when a sharp pain spiked through her arm.

"Yeow!" Ruby yelled, clutching her burn wound. She grimaced, having thought that the pain might have actually went away. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Ignoring her burn as much as possible, she shuffled toward the survivors.

"Hey, you two okay?" she asked, prodding and shaking them, but to no avail. "Hellooo? Rise and shine. I've got cookieees."

That last part was a lie, but Yang once got her out of bed after a particularly bad night with that method. She put her ear over each of their chests; at least their hearts were still beating. After a second to think, something that her dad used to do when she felt ill came to mind, and it gave her an idea. She scrounged through all of the desks, cupboards, closets, potted plants, and secret buttons she could find; she never did find any secret buttons though.

"Where's a glass of milk, a video game, and an inspirational poster when I need it?" she muttered. Kung Fu Ninja Ultimate Slayer Death Battle 2 always worked for her, but these two might have different favorites. Everybody's got their own tastes. Her search lead her to a small infirmary that, now that she found it, made her wonder why she didn't go through it last night.

A quick once-over through the closet and drawers was all Ruby needed. She didn't find any milk, video games, or posters, but she did find something more old-fashioned inside the closet: medicine. She grabbed every single bottle and carton at once and carried them to the bed she slept in.

"Let's see…antiseptic, mood swings, anti-pre-ticks, can-na-bees," she muttered, reading each label out loud. Her attention turned to the wrappings, syringes, and inhalers in the bundle and she already grew nervous. "Hehe…how hard can this be? Let's see, you both are…sleeping…I think."

A loud gust came from outside, but Ruby ignored it, focusing on what she's doing…whatever it was. She looked behind one of the bottles to see if there were any instructions, but she found only a list of contents.

"Ben-zall-con-ee-um chloride, ben-zeth-on-ee-um chloride, chlor-ox-ile-en-all," she read slowly, only to stop at the third ingredient. It was no use. The big words were making her head hurt. She tried to stay calm on the outside, but inside, she was panicking. Even if they looked peaceful now, what if they stayed that way until they just died? Meanwhile, the loud gust from outside only grew louder. It was enough to make her stop and look outside.

"What's going on out—" she shouted, then stopped when she saw an airborne ship in the sky. To her relief, it was flying toward the village. "Oh my god."

Ruby quickly climbed up to the top of the inn and balanced herself on the slanted roof. From the look of the ship, it almost appeared Atlesian. She didn't have any idea what an Atlesian ship would be doing in a village like this, but she didn't question it. She waved her arms, ignoring the pain from her burn, to get the pilot's attention.

"Hey! Over here!"

Tears of joy came down Ruby's eyes when the ship descended. This was the miracle she needed. With a happy squee, she slid down the roof and landed on the ground. Before she could run where the pilot could see her, she noticed the Reaper watching the scene from the corner of her eye. It stood by the trees surrounding the village; its body half-concealed by the branches. Her attention went back to the ship when she heard it touch the ground. She sprinted toward it and waved some more, as if it wasn't already obvious she needed help. The cockpit opened and she heard a man's voice.

"Place looks like hell. Are you the Huntress?" he asked. Ruby didn't recognize the man's voice, nor could she get a good look at him, but she was too desperate to be cautious now. Questions like "Why did he ask if I was a Huntress?" and "Why didn't he just ask if I was okay?" didn't register in her mind.

"Uh…yeah," she answered. "I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose! I've been lost for days and I don't have my weapon and I fought a bunch of Grimm with my eyes and I can't read the backs of those medicine bottles and…and—"

"Yeah, it checks out. I can't believe it. The old lady was right on the nose after all," the pilot said. "What happened here? You said there was a Grimm attack?"

"Yeah! I…we just fought them," Ruby said. "Most of the people here died, but I was able to save two. They're not moving, but they still breathing. They need help. I put them on a bed in the inn."

"Right," he answered, unusually nonchalant about the whole ordeal. He walked out at a normal pace, far too slowly for what someone in an emergency should do. "Hop in the back. If you want a drink, there's some in the back, but don't touch the one next to my seat."

He wore an Atlesian uniform with his face obscured by the helmet; Ruby's suspicions were right, but why here? How far away was she from Atlas right now?

"What's wrong with that one?" she asked, ignoring her internal concerns. The pilot briefly stopped to answer.

"It's mine. You can't have it."

Ruby looked at him, dumbfounded. She asked a stupid question. Before she boarded the ship, she saw the Reaper still standing by the trees. It was difficult to tell from this distance, but it seemed like it turned to leave.

"Wait. There's someone else with me. She's…" Ruby said, then paused. She couldn't just tell this guy that her new friend was a Grimm. She'd sound crazy. "She's a Huntress, just like me."

Technically not a lie, especially that last part. The pilot was already inside the inn when she said that. He probably didn't notice…or care. He didn't seem all that concerned. Ruby sprinted with her Semblance to reach the Reaper in seconds and stopped on a dime.

"Hey!" she said.

"Ruby," the Reaper responded and turned around when it heard her from behind.

"Um…about last night," they both said simultaneously, only to pause when things got awkward.

"I'm sorry," the Reaper said. "When I saw I sensed Grimm, I—"

"It's okay," Ruby said, then pointed at the ship. "Look, someone's here to help. Everything's gonna be fine now."

"Yeah," the Reaper gave a sad smile. "You, uh…you can go back to your life now. I bet you'll get back to your team now."

Ruby gave it a worried look and reached her arm out, only for it to look away.

"Gruby, why don't you come with me?" she asked.

"What?" the Reaper asked with worry. "I…I don't—"

"The fight against Salem didn't just stop while I was gone," Ruby declared. "Getting back to my team is only the start. Once we do, it's back to fighting Salem. We have to stay together and…I want you to fight with us. We came this far because we worked together. We had each other, and I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please."

"Ruby," the Reaper said somberly. "The people here were afraid of me. When I killed the Apathy, the family I saved didn't thank me. They just ran from me." It looked at its claws and clenched them. "That little boy…called me a monster. What if…everyone else is afraid? What if I hurt someone else like I hurt you? That scares me so much."

"I know," Ruby said. "I'd feel the same way if I were in your shoes…er, feet. Shoes? Feet? Do Grimm wear shoes?"

"What if someone dies because of me?" it asked. Its mind was too preoccupied on the sudden hatred that befell the villagers and what might have caused it to have any hope.

"If you want to be held back by your fears, that's your choice," Ruby said bluntly. "You want to go through life avoiding everybody, that's your choice. But birds that don't hatch just die in their eggs. So I hope you choose—"

"—to break out," the Reaper said in unison with Ruby. "That's right. I remember. Black Queen village. We were attacked by the very villagers we tried to save. They lost faith in Huntsmen after the Fall of Beacon. Do you…do you think the Huntsmen will just try to kill me on sight?"

"Well, I can't speak for every Huntsman…and we _are_ trained to kill Grimm," Ruby said. "But I know my team. Our team."

The Reaper's gaze instantly lit up when she said "our team."

"I know they'll do what's right," she said. "And so do you…because we have the same memories. They're your friends, too. You know you can't abandon them."

Ruby held out her hand again. After a moment to think, the Reaper returned the gesture, being careful not to let its claws touch her skin. The two shared a smile and looked toward the ship…and the poor man that had to carry two comatose villagers by himself. Before they took the first step on the fight ahead of them, a nearby pile of summer leaves scattered across the air by a gust of wind. The leaves caught their attention; they were just like the leaves in Ruby's dream, only green.

"You're thinking of her, right?" the Reaper asked.

"Who?"

"You know who I mean," it responded, its gaze never leaving the leaves. "She was the reason I came back."

Ruby looked at her Grimm self in both amazement and confusion, and it looked back.

"Ruby," the Reaper said. "I saw her too."


	12. Without a Wing and Prayer

The inside of the ship brought some terrible memories. It looked exactly like the one Ruby and her team stole from Argus to get to Atlas…and the one that they stole from Atlas after the Relic of Knowledge was stolen. Just sitting in the seats long enough gave both Rubies terrible flashbacks over the events of Atlas; the multiple assassinations that took place at Robin's victory party, Penny getting framed for the murders, and of course, Ironwood's decision to declare martial law and abandon Mantle for the sake of protecting the Relic of Creation. However, that was nothing compared to the gigantic fleet of Grimm that descended upon the floating city…and Salem herself made her appearance for the first time.

That was the night that Ruby finally came face to face with the immortal witch…completely at her mercy and taken to the World of Darkness. That was the night the Reaper was spawned; made to be an instrument of evil, yet chose another path. And now, seemingly out of nowhere, an Atlesian ship shows up. Now that Ruby had time to take in what was happening, she wondered if this was truly a blessing. The terms that she and Ironwood parted on were bad, to put it kindly. Now that she was on one of their ships, it made her wonder. Would she be jailed for going against him? Would they put the past behind them? It's been two whole days; was the battle already over?

Meanwhile, the Reaper's thoughts were, for once, different from Ruby's and much more single-minded. They all revolved around the two survivors lying in the seats opposite of where it and Ruby sat. They were still comatose, to be brought to a place to receive medical aid and hopefully, some mental therapy. In the meantime, they were to be safely on the ship…mere feet from the Reaper. The quiet suspicion of believing itself responsible for the bloodbath at Aisufurawa made it extremely nervous; even Ruby noticed its fidgeting claws.

"Hey," she said, putting her hand over its shoulder. "You okay?"

It stopped shaking and gave her a weak smile. It was still too afraid to say it; to face the thought of innocent blood on its claws, so it said nothing. The pilot climbed in with the rest of them soon after.

"Okay. Just finished my rounds out there. Gotta say…it's different from any Grimm attack I've ever heard of," he said, then looked at Ruby. "You _did_ say it was a Grimm attack."

"Yeah," Ruby said, unsure of his suspicion. "We fought a horde of Apathy."

"Funny," he said, sounding unconvinced. "I've never heard of any Grimm arming themselves with our own weapons and using them against us."

The Reaper gasped; its eyes widened with fear.

"Their own weapons were stained with their blood. Furthermore, their wounds matched the shapes of the weapons. If I didn't know better, I'd say they killed each other," he explained, then turned to the Reaper. "What about you? You willing to back up her statement?"

The Reaper couldn't even face him, let alone respond. It couldn't bear to look at the survivors. It could only put its claws under its teeth and muffle its mouth. Ruby looked upon its reaction with dread and answered in its place.

"She's been through a lot. So many people died in front of her."

Ruby also suspected that there was more going on in that village than just the Apathy, but she wasn't keen on letting an Atlesian soldier in on the whole story. Last time she was in Atlas, she was caught breaking her uncle Qrow and Robin Hill from their prison transport. They were arrested on suspicion for the murder of Clover Ebi, the leader of the Atlesian Ace Operatives, but the military didn't have time to imprison them before Salem's attack. She could still be on the wanted posters, for all she knew. And besides, her suspicions might be wrong. At least, she hoped they were.

"Right," the pilot said. It was hard to read his expression from behind his helmet. He climbed into the pilot's seat. "I guess you're not the only one who needs to explain themselves. You see, I used to serve the Atlas military, but there's a reason I took one of our ships all the way out here. You both sit tight. I'll explain myself on the way."

Ruby's eyes rose with quiet concern. What did he mean by "on the way?" Did he already know who she was? Was he here to help her or take her into custody? If she thought she had another option, she might have considered leaping out of the ship before it took off and finding another way back to Atlas, so she hoped for the best. She couldn't just throw this guy out of the cockpit and steal yet _another_ ship; she doesn't know how to fly them.

While both Rubies were focused on their own worries, the ship rose from the ground and began its flight under the pilot's command.

"Before I do, though, I'd better tell you that those two aren't coming with us," the pilot said, his eyes remaining on the cockpit. "This should be confidential, but Atlas has seen better days. We're gonna make a stop in Argus along the way. It's not far from here."

The Reaper was quietly relieved that the two villagers wouldn't remain, but like Ruby, it kept that information to itself.

"Really?" Ruby tried to sound surprised. "What, uh…what happened to Argus? I mean, to Atlas?"

"You already know," the pilot said after a pause. Ruby gasped, thinking she blew her cover. "You saw it. The election, the heating grid, the general…and the Grimm. The old lady said you'd be alone out here."

Now Ruby was confused. Old lady? Were there any old ladies in the Atlesian military? Before she could ask, he kept talking.

"She your twin sister or something?"

Both Rubies looked at him in response, but neither answered.

"I saw the resemblance before I sat down, but those eyes…" he said. "It's like I was just staring at a Grimm. I mean, I know Huntresses like to express themselves, but that cosplay's a cut above the rest. Freaks me out just looking at her."

Now both Rubies looked at each other. The Reaper almost felt silly being so worried about being outed as a Grimm in public and stifled a laugh.

"I know she looks like a monster, but she's a Huntress," Ruby said with a smile. "I knew her my whole life."

The Reaper couldn't help but smile back. Despite being the near spitting image of Ruby, it had usually been her that roused it out of its deep worries rather than itself. It was strange, really. It had her memories, her personality, her moral compass…but it didn't have that spark of hope she had. For the short time it had existed, it was either angry and depressed, angry and afraid, or just angry. It just couldn't stay positive the way she could.

"Thanks, Ruby," it whispered.

"Right," the pilot said. "Anyway, I'm here because I owed her a favor. She saved me from the Grimm when I was a kid, then all of a sudden she shows up, prods me with her cane, and demands one favor: find you. She said something about an 'Evernight Gate' all the way out in Mistral's northern coast."

"Evernight?" the Reaper muttered. Aesthetically speaking, the place it was first created had a perpetual night. The pool it walked through to get to Remnant; that could have been one of these "gates."

"She was persistent, I'll give her that much," he said. "If Atlas hadn't already—"

His explanation was interrupted by a beeping noise coming from the cockpit.

"Great, now what?" he said.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"More Grimm," the Reaper answered, looking at the back of the plane. "It's like feeling…vibrations of hate around me. No, not vibrations. More like…wings!"

Ruby looked out the back window to see a swarm of Grimm flying behind them. They all have black bodies in three segments along with four transparent red wings and two antenna. On the bottoms of their bodies, they have jagged pincers and a stinger. They were Lancers; an entire swarm of them, complete with a Queen. In the brief moment it took for them to notice their presence, they had already assembled an attacking formation.

"Freakin' Lancers behind us!" the pilot shouted. "We just started flying! How'd they find us so quickly?"

"They're probably drawn to me," the Reaper whispered with a shade of guilt.

"I'm packing missiles, but they only fire in front of me," the pilot shouted. "They're gaining on us, so I'm gonna turn around and engage!"

"We'll watch your back," Ruby said. "Got any weapons on board?"

"Couple of guns in the back, in the lockers under the seats," he said, then threw a small key ring with a single key at Ruby. "Here!"

While the ship was turning, she quickly grabbed it and unlocked one of the footlockers. Meanwhile, the Reaper held the two survivors on the seats to keep them from sliding during the pilot's aerial maneuver. The sound of scraping metal came from outside. When it looked out the window, it saw that some of the Lancers already latched themselves on the right wing.

"They're taking apart the wings!" it yelled. When Ruby retrieved the gun from the footlocker, she was disappointed to find out it was one of the rifles that the soldiers of the Atlesian military use, along with a few clips of Dust. Nothing unique like the Huntsmen weapons; it only made her miss Crescent Rose even more.

"Standard issue military," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "All gun, no heart."

She considered just using her eyes instead, but there were many Lancers all around the ship. If they were as organized as they appeared, one could easily get to her during the interim between uses. The boring military rifle could keep a swarm at arm's length more easily for the time being. With it in hand, Ruby tossed the Reaper the key and took a second to inspect it. The one good thing about "ordinary" weapons; it was easy to find where the safety slider and reloading mechanisms were. She slid open the side door to find the Lancers clawing the wing with their pincers.

_All doubts begone; back to the war,_

_This is the day we've waited for._

Lining up the sights on the rifle, she fired three Flame Dust rounds square in one of the Lancers' eyes. When its body burst into flame, it quickly lost its footing and fell off the ship.

_Our fairy tale life has evolved;_

_Nightmares and pain shall be resolved._

She pulled the trigger again and three more rounds were fired; two struck the other Lancer, the third struck the ship's wing.

_Guilt and despair; caught in their hold,_

_Our story has yet to be told._

Meanwhile, the Reaper picked up the key, only for a Lancer's stinger to penetrate the ship's hull nearby as it was about to unlock the other footlocker.

_Conflict started with two brothers,_

_Their powers transcend all others._

Out of a violent instinct, the Reaper sank its claw into the Lancer's body and tore off its stinger. Its anguished buzz fed the Reaper's inner desire for destruction, but also served as a warning for the rest of the Lancer swarm. When the Lancer's stinger-less remains fell from the ship, the tips of the Reaper's claws sparked with a dark flame, to its confusion.

_Next came a girl in a tower,_

_Saved by a hero in her hour._

When the pilot turned his ship to face some of the approaching Lancers, he pushed some buttons on the nearby console.

_Then his illness took his last breath,_

_Who knew it lead to so much death?_

"Eat this!" he yelled. Six missiles fired from the ships wings, striking only two Lancers directly. Other Lancers were caught in the splash damage from the two missiles that struck and left disoriented, but the other four missed their targets entirely.

_Given the fateful task by Light,_

_He was reborn as a wizard,_

_Repeatedly deceived his herd._

The Reaper went back to unlocking the footlocker…only to find that the key in its claw snapped to pieces. In vain, it tried to unlock it with a fragment of the key. When that failed, it looked up at Ruby, wondering how it can help without burning someone, or the ship itself, by accident.

_Fell in the bubbling pool of Dark,_

_Feared by all as a mighty witch,_

_Really just a cruel, spiteful bitch._

Another three shots, and Ruby picked off another Lancer. She was quickly getting used to the gun. The Lancers seemed to recognize that their numbers were falling by her hand, however, as a number of them latched to the other wing, where the Reaper was. Ruby still had her hands full with the other side. Noticing all of this, the Reaper quietly let out a growl, wanting to climb across the ship's wing and tear the Lancers apart personally. It only restrained itself because its claws might damage the ship's wings even—

_Locked in conflict with each other; the greatest stakes,_

_Began with immortals and gods; and their mistakes._

The Reaper finally realized the stupidity of what it was doing. It discarded the ruined key and simply sank its claws into the footlocker itself, which was pried open with ease. There were also flame Dust cartridges like the ones Ruby got. After a moment to inspect the gun, load it, and turn the safety off, it rolled its eyes, silently agreeing with Ruby: all gun, no heart.

_We're products of their arrogance; without a prayer._

_And now we must clean up their mess; our cross to beaaaaar._

The Reaper slid open the other door, its claw bending the metal a bit. Taking a moment to aim, it fired three shots…only to graze one of the Lancers' wings. It fired three more shots, but once again, its aim was off and it only struck its armored body. The Lancers scattered away from the wing before it had a chance to fire again.

"It's a burst shot!" Ruby yelled in the midst of combat, noticing the Reaper's difficulty with the rifle. "Way different from Crescent Rose. You have to lead your shots further with moving targets, too."

"I…I'm trying," the Reaper muttered. Something was definitely wrong. It remembered being a much better shot with Crescent Rose in Ruby's memories…only to realize that its claws were much different than her smaller human hands. That's when it clicked: these claws were like wearing gauntlets with knives attached, yet the gun was built for human hands. No wonder aiming with it felt so awkward.

"There's the queen!" the pilot yelled, aiming his missiles at a Lancer larger than the rest. "I'm taking her out!"

He fired another volley of missiles, but some of the surrounding Lancers flew in contact with them to intercept them, giving their lives to shield their queen. One of the missiles exploded too close to the ship itself, rupturing the front of the hull and cracking the glass.

Ruby saw two more Lancers fly toward another wing and took aim. Her next burst struck one in the eyes and killed it instantly, but the other hid itself between her line of sight and the missiles on the wing. Firing here would risk igniting the missiles and damaging the ship. She moved toward the front, where the pilot is, to get a better shot.

Meanwhile, the Reaper's scythe began squirming due to the fighting around it, despite being wrapped around its back. Like any Grimm, the Reaper could sense its desire for destruction; it knew the scythe wanted to join in, even against its fellow Grimm. Swinging it around would be too risky in an enclosed space like the interior of a ship in the air. The chance of hitting someone or the ship's hull itself, with flames or blade, was too great to even consider it.

"No! Bad scythe! Bad!" it spoke to its scythe like one would speak to a misbehaving dog.

Another two Lancers flew at the ship from behind, where the Reaper could get a clean shot. Without worrying about hitting the wings, it fired several bursts and ended up hitting them both all over their bodies. As they fell to the ground below, it smiled, knowing it wasn't completely hopeless with a man-made gun.

"You want some more? Huh?" the pilot yelled. Ruby noticed the missiles on the wing where the Lancer hid had extended. She saw it impale one of the missiles with its stinger, then her eyes widened with horror.

"No! Don't!" she yelled, but to no avail. He fired them…or at least they would have been fired, had they not exploded and taken the ship's wing with them due to the Lancer's interference. The entire ship tilted on its side, causing both Rubies to slide toward one of the open doors. The Reaper sank its claws in the ship's floor to keep from falling out entirely. Ruby's back landed on its skull with a metallic clang and the impact caused her to drop her gun out the door. The two comatose survivors were further back on the ship, away from the sliding doors, but they still fell to the side of the ship.

"Ouch! Owowow!" Ruby yelled in pain.

"You…kay?" the Reaper asked with its face muffled under Ruby's cape.

"No, your head's like a cactus…made of titanium." she complained.

"Crap, crap, crap!" the pilot yelled, trying desperately to turn the ship upright in spite of the lost wing.

Ruby slowly lifted herself off the Reaper's skull, grimacing in pain. A few strands of its hair stuck to her cape like needles, but at least there wasn't another burn. Opening her eyes, she could see the ground was at least five hundred feet below her. If she wasn't so preoccupied with the Lancers, she'd consider jumping off the ship. She'd practiced landing strategies back at Beacon, after all. The three parachutes attached to the back of the pilot's seat wouldn't be much help either. Even if the pilot and the survivors jumped out, they'd be easy pickings for the Lancers.

Speaking of which, they attached themselves to the ship from all sides, shredding the frame with their pincers. That was when Ruby saw it: the gun the Reaper was using is caught on the edge of the now shredded wing. If it could climb down a little bit, it could reach it and then there would be a way to cover the pilot and survivors during the plunge down.

"Gruby!" she yelled, pulling off the cape from its face and pointing at the gun. Without another word, it understood what she meant. It inched downward ever so slightly to reach it. When it did, its foot burst into dark flames. The Reaper's eyes widened, but it was helpless to do anything. At first, it didn't understand what the cause was, but the reason was soon made apparent. Due of the speed in which the ship was moving, its skin would invariably combust the moment it came in contact with the air. Worse, the flames spread toward the back of the ship…where another wing with unused missiles were.

_Without a wing and prayer; the situation is dire,_

_Soaring in the hornet's nest; our dreaded trial by fire._

The missiles exploded on contact with the flames. Also, the remaining gun was also loosened by the force of the explosion and fell off the ship. Amusingly enough, however, the loss of that wing balanced the ship, and the force of the explosion also forced it back into an upright position.

_Fighting amongst each other; leads us to dissolution._

_So let us cling together; it's our only solutiiiiion._

The Reaper looked down at its sizzling leg with a look of guilt, but this self-pity didn't last long when it saw Ruby pull herself off the floor. It was ruptured from the explosions, which made it difficult to stand.

"That was the last of the missiles!" the pilot yelled. "I can't fight back!"

"Get as far away from them as you can!" Ruby yelled. "I've got a plan!"

The rest of the Lancer swarm, queen included, closed the distance between them and the ship. Despite the pilot's best efforts to escape them, the ship was too damaged to fly at optimal speeds.

"I can't shake 'em!" the pilot yelled.

"I know," Ruby said confidently.

_No longer is this black and white,_

Ruby reached the emergency door on the back of the ship and opened it. The entire door broke off the hinges and the Reaper pulled Ruby back up and carried her in its arms, making sure to keep her from slipping again.

_Perfect union of Dark and Light,_

Facing the now exposed backside of the ship, the two saw the rest of the swarm closing the distance in front of them.

_Our voices lead this epic fiiiiight,_

"I got the same plan. Ready?" the Reaper asked.

"Yep," she answered. No words were needed. No explanations were due. The Reaper positioned its feet between the ruptured indents on the floor to keep from sliding, while also making sure not to be too close to the air outside. Its left claw held Ruby by the chin, facing outward to avoid cutting her. Its right arm supported the weight of her body while its right claw held her arm, being careful not to touch her burn. Ruby's legs bent upward around the Reaper's shoulder in the shape of a scythe to keep herself steady. With her silver eyes facing the swarm of approaching Lancers, the Reaper moved its face over her head to "aim."

The Reaper held Ruby like a gun. It slid its left palm back and forth across her neck and made a gun cocking sound with its mouth. Ruby's eyes glowed with light in response.

_The future is built…before our eeeeeeeyes!_

"BANG!" she yelled. The light from Ruby's eyes engulfed the entire swarm of Lancers, petrifying them all with a single "shot." The Reaper squinted its eyes away from the light, but kept her steady. Like a rain of boulders, the Lancer swarm fell to the ground and shattered on impact.

"What the hell?" the pilot asked in astonishment. "How did we just survive?"

Both Rubies glanced at each other, silently asking each other who should answer. Ruby stepped out of "gun mode" and carefully made her way to one of the seats that weren't damaged by the Lancer attack. The Reaper stayed in the back corner, away from the emergency door and any potential gusts of air that could start a fire.

"All part of the job," Ruby said, slouching on the chair with exhaustion. "We're used to it."

Despite all the setbacks and the worries, things didn't end as badly as they could have. This wasn't like Aisufurawa; nobody died. Even the two survivors were still breathing after all of that. With a low growl of relief, the Reaper was able to smile.


	13. A Small Respite

Several hours had passed since that Lancer attack, but the ship was nearing its first destination: Argus. Despite the immense damage that the ship sustained, it was still able to fly. It did so much more slowly than it would have, had it not been damaged, though. Aisufurawa really wasn't that far from Argus. Had either Ruby known that or possessed a map, they probably could have walked the rest of the trek.

Both Rubies made a conscious effort to be on the lookout for any more Lancers during the rest of the journey, just in case they showed up; Ruby with her eyes and the Reaper with its ability to sense Grimm. As a result, the two said nothing, communicating only with a silent language of finger movements and facial expressions that both could only vaguely understand. The pilot was the only one that was really vocal…though most of his words were over how "he needed a new ship" and how "he couldn't believe he went through all this for some old lady." He must have repeated those phrases at least three times over during the flight.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" the pilot asked, slamming his console with his fists. Both Rubies looked back at him with concern at the same time.

"Are…you okay?" Ruby asked. The pilot gave her an irritated look, which caused her to bare her teeth. She silently regretted asking him, and expected a vicious tirade. Instead, his voice was calm, though no less hostile.

"Just having a _shitty_ morning is all," he responded, then went back to flying with another word.

"Oh…okay, yeah," Ruby muttered, looking away. She grew uncomfortable with the way he spoke and got out of her seat. "I mean, we did get attacked by Grimm and…your ship. Yeah, I get it."

The Reaper noticed her discomfort right away and tapped the metal floor of the ship where it sat. It was another wordless gesture: "You can sit with me if you want." Ruby instantly cheered up and accepted the invitation. After a brief moment where she grabbed the ceiling to keep her footing on the ruptured floor, she sat next to the Reaper.

"Ruby," it whispered, focusing its gaze back on the pilot.

"Yeah?"

"Something's off about him. Not 'totally crazy and full of hate like in that village' off, but…" it whispered, narrowing its eyes. Ruby's eyes, on the other hand, instantly widened. "It's smaller than what I felt from them," it whispered, pointing at one of the comatose villagers, "but there's something there."

"Well, he did say he was having a—" Ruby whispered back, stopping short of profanity. "'You know what' day."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. That feeling just wasn't there earlier, not even when we were fighting," the Reaper whispered, then went back to trying to sense any nearby Grimm. "Well, maybe it's just 'cuz we barely won against those Grimm."

"We're almost at Argus now," Ruby whispered back. "He'll be fine after a little fresh air."

"How do you think that Cordovin lady would react if she saw the ship?" the Reaper suddenly asked. Ruby paused for a moment; the question caught her off guard.

"Uh, I don't know. Why would you bring that up?" Ruby answered, squinting at the question.

"That's the place we…uh, you, fought her in that robot. You know, I can picture it right now," it whispered, pointing down at a plateau near Argus through a closed window it could see through, then gave a quiet imitation of Cordovin. "How _dare_ you deface the glory of Atlas by letting your ship get attacked by Grimm! It's _your _fault they attacked it because your glory wasn't bright enough."

Ruby covered her mouth, trying to hold her laughter. Given Ruby's past experience with Cordovin, she knew the Reaper's imitation of her wasn't too far off. She could just imagine what she'd do if it was one of her ships that were damaged to the point that it was barely flying.

"Just for that, I'm going to make an example out of you 'cuz I got a big robot and I'm so small and have a really big mouth that doesn't know when to shut up," the Reaper whispered, imitating Cordovin while making silly faces and open claw gestures. After the Reaper said those last two words, Ruby couldn't hold her laughter anymore.

"Could you both keep it down?" the pilot said rudely. "I need to concentrate on landing this thing. What's left of it anyway."

"Uh…maybe we can get some help for Atlas while we're here?" Ruby added, cautiously trying not to make him lose his temper.

"Help?" he said incredulously. "It's a little late for that! You know what happened to Atlas!"

"I…what?" Ruby asked. "What…happened?"

"I thought you were there. That's what the old lady told me!"

"I was, but…the last thing I remember was fighting that Grimm invasion and…" Ruby explained, stopping short of telling him about Salem.

"That was days ago. It fell," the pilot explained. The last two words made Ruby's stomach turn. She was afraid to even ask him about the details.

"What...fell?" Ruby asked, her lip trembling the whole time.

"Atlas! It fell! The city, the academy, the military…it's gone! _All of it_!" he ranted. Both Rubies reacted with the same eye-widening expression at the same time while he continued. "You think anyone in the military would have left Atlas for a second if there was still a fighting chance? No! The only thing I can do about _that_ is let the commander in Argus know…and hope to god she doesn't snap like Ironwood did."

Both Rubies were completely silent. They couldn't believe what they had heard. Instantly, both felt enormous guilt over the events that happened. For Ruby, it was the fact that the city she tried so hard to save fell while she was gone and wondering if her team was even alive. For the Reaper, it was getting them both lost and wondering if they could have saved Atlas if it didn't screw up. They held the same ideal; they weren't allowed to be failures, or else their team would go down with them.

"Is…there…anyone left?" Ruby asked with a blank stare.

"How should I know? I said it was days ago."

Instantly, the Reaper felt a sorrow form in the deepest part of Ruby's heart that was never meant to fester there. Even after seeing so many people die last night or being exposed to Apathy, she didn't feel anything like this. It wasn't just fear or guilt, it was self-loathing. For quite possibly the first time in her life, there was honest-to-god self-loathing in the idealistic Huntress. An entire city fell because she failed. She failed to stop Salem. Such a perverse emotion for someone like her, but the very thought of having failed everyone she ever cared for was enough to make even her falter.

It knew that feeling all too well. Unlike her, the Reaper constantly wrestled with all manner of negative emotions and cruel urges from the very moment it opened its eyes, including self-loathing. In its example, it came from the suspicion that its very presence might have caused a bloodbath last night. If there was anything it could have done to help her, to take her festering sorrow from her, it would have. Emotional wounds didn't heal from Aura like most physical wounds, though. It was something that could only be mended by the spark of hope. Being tainted with the darkness that all Grimm possessed, it had no such spark to offer.

Without a word, it gently caressed the back of her hand; its claws curled into a fist to avoid cutting her flesh. A caring gesture; that was all it could give, but somehow it brought Ruby out of that blank stare. She looked back at the Reaper…no, not just "the Reaper." Not anymore. That wordless display of teamwork to exterminate the Lancer swarm proved that much. The only person that could share such an avid enthusiasm for weapons to consider that Ruby could become a gun herself was…herself. She looked upon the spitting image of herself, cursed with perpetual torment and tainted by the Grimm.

Yet in its constant misery, it remained loyal to the cause they shared. To be just like those heroes in the books; someone who fought for what was right and protected people who couldn't protect themselves. It knew it was a fake; a creation of Salem, but it did its best to help her regardless. To do so while never yielding to its destructive urges was an incredible display of willpower. She remembered what Jinn showed her about Salem. She, too, was cursed with the desire to destroy, and plagued Remnant for an uncountable length of time. This tainted duplicate of Ruby could have been the same. It would have been so easy, given how destructive its powers were.

But it wouldn't, because she wouldn't. Somehow, it found the will to keep going, to keep trying. It could be alienated, distrusted, and feared, but it would do what was right. It existed in a state without anything resembling hope, yet remained steadfast. It woke up one day to realize that its life was all a lie, but it chose to live it anyway for the sake of others. As depressing as this was, it was equally as inspiring. Its blackened soul was copied from her, and with it, a testament that she, too, could keep moving forward, whatever may come. If the worst did happen, she'd try to follow Grimm Ruby's example, just as it would follow hers.

"This is Argus Base. We've picked up your signal. Identify yourself. Over," a voice from the ship's radio said.

"This is Manta 3-8, from the Atlesian Base. I have two Huntresses and two survivors. Aisufurawa's been hit by the Grimm. Requesting immediate medical assistance. Over," the pilot responded.

"Copy that, 3-8. We'll clear you for landing."

"At least we didn't crash on the way here," Ruby said, trying to be positive. "Maybe it won't be so hard to get to Atlas this time."

The ship did eventually land…and tilt backwards where the tail end of the ship was, so the cockpit drifted up. When the ship powered down, the tail struck the landing pad with a loud bang. The pilot got up from his seat and gave both Rubies a long stare.

"Get off my ship," he said, still visibly irritated. "I got paperwork to look forward to before we hit what's left of Atlas in another ship. Come back tonight. Gods know that's how long it takes to get the ball rolling here."

Ruby was about to protest, since she wanted nothing more than to get back to Atlas and her friends. However, there was still the matter of her arm; the one that Grimm Ruby burned all the way to the bone by mistake. Now that medical assistance was available, she needed to have it tended to before anything else. Besides, she wanted an excuse to get away from that grouchy man anyway. She got up off the floor and left through one of the side doors, giving the pilot an awkward stare the whole time, only to stop when she noticed Grimm Ruby didn't get up.

"Are you coming? Maybe a little fresh air will calm everyone down," Ruby suggested. It did get up, but only to discreetly communicate with Ruby.

"Ruby? You know those Grimm were drawn to the ship because of me, right?" it whispered, making sure that the pilot wasn't in earshot. "It had to be me. I'm…a little scared about what might happen if I'm walking around a city."

"Well, maybe," Ruby said with reluctance. "But Argus does have a military defending it…and 'you know who' will defend the people whether anyone likes it or not. And…you'd have to leave this ship anyway because we're flying to Atlas in another one…and they're probably gonna want to have this one repaired without you sitting in it."

After a pause, Grimm Ruby shrugged and nodded. If there was any place that it shouldn't have to worry about collateral damage through fighting, it was a well-defended city. From the moment the ship landed, a whole team of medical personnel was already lying in wait for the two survivors. At the very least, this proved that Argus wasn't affected by the chaos in Atlas. The two disembarked, leaving the pilot and the personnel to do their jobs.

"Hey, I gotta go with them and…you know," Ruby said, glancing at the medical staff taking the two survivors. "See if they can fix my arm."

"Oh…uh, yeah," Grimm Ruby responded, still feeling guilty about the injury. "That makes sense."

"Yeah. I'm not sure how long it's to take. I never had an injury that my Aura couldn't fix. Are you gonna be fine by yourself?"

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby said, scratching its head. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You just…sounded so depressed this morning. I didn't know if I should leave you without someone to talk to."

"It's fine. It's my fault you need to get your arm fixed anyway. I'll just…wait right here until we leave."

"Are you sure? You could walk around town for a while. See the sights?" Ruby said in a hopeful tone.

"It's fine. I'm…kinda used to waiting. I don't sleep, so I do a lot of waiting at night."

Having heard Grimm Ruby's response, Ruby felt bad for having to leave it, if only temporarily. It didn't have anyone else to talk to or associate with, but she couldn't just leave her arm untended. It could get an infection.

So Grimm Ruby waited…for hours until the sun crossed over the horizon. It leaned on one of the dark corners of the base, away from everyone and everything. In a way, this isolation felt a bit like the first day of Beacon from the original Ruby's memories. Back then, it felt awkward to even talk to people, and the original one was human. This Ruby didn't even have that much going for it. When Ruby finally came back from the medical bay, Grimm Ruby noted the bandages around her arm.

"How'd it go?" it asked.

"A little weird," Ruby answered, scratching her head. "You know how cuts and bruises heal over time?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the flesh around my arm won't," Ruby said, caressing her bandaged arm. "The nurses there said they never seen anything like it. None of their machines and medicines could fix it. Something about how Aura boosts the body's natural healing, but stopped at my arm…and then some big words I can't pronounce. All they could do is put some anesthetic to block the pain, so they could sew it up. It should be fine as long as I don't pick at it because it's probably gonna be sore…for the rest of my life."

"I…I'm—" Grimm Ruby said, looking down.

"I know. It was an accident. You don't have to keep apologizing," Ruby assured, then noticed that she didn't need to go looking for her Grimm self. "Wait, did you seriously just stand around and wait the whole time?"

"Yeah. I didn't want people freaking out because…well, you know."

"Come on," Ruby said with a huff. "You need to take your mind off that stuff. Remember what that pilot said? He thought it was just cosplay."

Grimm Ruby made no further attempt to argue, mostly out of trusting its human self about matters of hope. It was true. He didn't believe he was face to face with a sentient Grimm that whole time. Even so, it went out of its way to avoid even greeting anyone else. It was still hesitant to interact with anybody if it didn't have to, plus it didn't want to be the cause of conflict if the Argus military found out a Grimm had "infiltrated" the city.

Leaving the military base, the first thing they noticed was the fenced gate that led to Argus proper…and the two Atlesian soldiers that stood next to it. They wore identical Atlesian uniforms with tall caps and visors pulled down to cover their eyes. These soldiers were known by the locals as the "Nubuck Guards" and Ruby once had the misfortune of crossing paths with these peculiar men the first time she and her team traveled in Argus.

"Approach!" both guards said in unison. Both Rubies looked briefly at each other, silently asking the other one to say something, but neither gave them a response. They immediately regretted stepping out of that ship now, but it was too late to go back. They would just look more suspicious if they ran. Despite Ruby's past history here, the guards stood completely stiff with their arms behind their backs. Just like last time, they acted more like robots than people.

"Uh…hi," Ruby awkward said, approaching them slowly. "Remember me? I, uh…about what happened…last time I…uh, wanted to travel to Atlas. I mean, my team and I…"

"Deceived us with your treachery!" one guard said.

"Stole from us with your deceit!" the other one said.

"Uh…yeah. I'm sorry. We were desperate and—"

"Your heinous crime has officially been pardoned!" the first guard interrupted.

"From the generosity of Special operative!" the second guard said.

"Caroline Cordovin!" both said in unison.

"Oh! That's…great," Ruby said, giving a fake smile with her teeth showing. "Actually, we need another one now. Don't worry, we're being escorted. Official Atlas business and all that stuff. Heheh."

"We've received the reports: The Mistral-Atlas border is open to you and your sister!" the first guard said.

Both Rubies' eyes widened briefly with shock.

"Please!" the second guard said.

"Have a good day!" the first guard said.

Ruby looked behind her to see the base they were about to leave…and the city of Argus they were about to enter.

"You know we're not leaving for another couple of—"

"_A good day!_" both guard exclaimed in unison. Ruby glanced at Grimm Ruby, who glanced back and twirled its index claw across the side of its head in a circle. Wanting desperately to avoid saying another word to the guards, both Rubies walked past the gate to Argus.

"So they were—" Ruby said after walking out of the guards' earshot.

"Still super weird?" Grimm Ruby finished.

"Uh, yeah."

Both Rubies shared a moment of laughter. Even with the stress of not knowing if their team was still alive, it was nice not having to worry about threats like starvation, isolation, or fatigue for a change. For the remaining time it would take for the Argus military to "get the ball rolling", the two could try to relax in something resembling typical life.

"So…sisters," Grimm Ruby said with a smile. "That's what they called us."

"Yeah," Ruby said a bit awkwardly, but returning the smile. "Hey, at least it's better than evil clone."

"Or scary monster."

"Or scary monster," Ruby reiterated with a nod. "So…whatcha wanna do first?"

"Huh? Oh? Uh, I…I don't know," Grimm Ruby said, holding its claws behind its back. "I was just kinda following your lead."

"Aw, come on," Ruby said with a smile. "I know it's hard for you to relax because you got those Grimm urges, but this is your chance to really be a person. You just gotta break out of your shell."

"What the—" Grimm Ruby complained. "I don't need to break out of my shell! That's absolutely…you sound just like Yang!"

Both Rubies stared at shock at one another again. Now Ruby's real sister came into the conversation, and she glanced down to the ground with worry.

"Sorry, I know you're worried about her and—" Grimm Ruby muttered.

"It's okay. I mean, we really are kinda like twin sisters, right?" Ruby said with an awkward laugh.

"Yeah. I guess," Grimm Ruby said, giving the same awkward laugh. "Hey, that means Yang's my sister, too."

"Yeah. I guess it does. What do you know, I got two sisters now."

Both Rubies shared one more awkward laugh together. It lasted a little longer than the others, but Grimm Ruby quickly cringed.

"Wait, doesn't that make Salem like another mom?" it asked.

"Well…that's…oooohhhh," Ruby said, giving the same cringe. "Yeah, let's just stick with 'we're the same person.' I mean, it's not like I wouldn't like you like a sister, I just—"

"Yeah, it's just too weird what with us being in war with my creator and stuff."

Neither Ruby really wanted to add anything to this conversation. It got too awkward. Their conversations usually do. They just stopped and aimlessly walked along the streets of Argus for the next hour. Along the way, Grimm Ruby caught the glances and stares of nearly everyone they crossed paths with. There were plenty of whispers and murmurs to go around about Grimm Ruby's appearance. Some believe it was some kind of cosplay and compared it to the Grimm. Others believe that it was some kind of statement against the kingdoms, like how the White Fang used to wear masks in the Grimm's likeness before its dissolution. And there were a small few that actually believe that it was, in fact, a Grimm walking among them. Those few would typically be rebuked by those that could think more rationally, however.

Each time Grimm Ruby passed by one of these people, it turned away in an attempt to avoid eye contact. The fear it felt in Aisufurawa was still fresh in its mind. At the very least, however, there was no festering negativity from those it passed by. Just the occasional angry or lonely thought, and those could easily have been caused by a typical bad day.

"I guess this isn't so bad," Grimm Ruby said. "It's a nice day outside."

"Hey, you're starting to sound more positive already," Ruby said cheerfully, then pointed at one of the shops across from them. It was a bakery. "Hey! Let's get something sweet."

"Oh! That's, uh," Grimm Ruby said, then squinted. "Wait. I don't have any money…or a wallet…or pockets to put one in."

"It's cool. I'll buy for us both."

"Really?" Grimm Ruby asked, trying to hide its delight. "I mean, you don't have to, but if you want to."

Ruby dragged her Grimm self with her in the bakery. Once again, the latter got some strange looks from those inside, but they didn't seem all that fearful.

"Oooh! They got a Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie!" Ruby exclaimed, her eyes turning into stars. "Ah! A Double Decker Cheesecake! And…and—"

"Chocolate covered strawberries," both Rubies said in a trance. The cashier gave them both an incredulous stare; not one of fear toward Grimm Ruby, but a cringe worthy one given to children already high on sugar before they even took a bite of their first sweet.

The forty-two and a half seconds it took for the cashier to actually give them their precious sweets with a different kind of torture than the feeling of keeping destructive urges contained, but one that Ruby could truly emphasize with. When the bags of chocolate covered strawberries were finally presented, Ruby snatched the bag with lightning speed. She ran out the door with Grimm Ruby walking slowly behind. The cashier shook her head at the scene.

"Mmmm!" Ruby squealed, then handed one of the strawberries to Grimm Ruby. "You gotta try these!"

It wasted no time putting one in its mouth, only for pieces of the strawberry to fall to the ground. In the short time it existed, Grimm Ruby never actually needed to consume anything, so it never got used to using its fangs like teeth. They were jagged and made to bite off someone's face, not enjoy a strawberry. Trying to use them like human teeth was a little awkward, but it got the hang of it after the second try. Only…there was something off about the strawberry.

"Uh, Ruby," Grimm Ruby said. "Do you taste anything?"

"Yrah," Ruby said, stuffing several strawberries in her mouth. "Dere lish-is!"

Grimm Ruby impaled another strawberry with its claw and slid it in its mouth. Just like the last one, there was no flavor. No taste. It was about to bring the issue up to Ruby, but put the pieces together quickly. It wasn't the strawberries that were lacking in flavor, it was Grimm Ruby's mouth.

"Err," Ruby said, then swallowed what was in her mouth. "What's wrong?"

"I can't taste them," Grimm Ruby said in disappointment. "Salem built me to be a weapon. I guess working taste buds aren't one of my added features."

"Oh," Ruby said, showing sympathy. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Grimm Ruby said, giving an envious smile. "I appreciate what you tried to do for me. Thanks."

Despite missing that wonderful aspect of humanity that is the sense of taste, it actually felt like a person instead of a monster, if only for a little while. To think that the Grimm wanted nothing more than to destroy this innocence; even the destructive urges buried beneath its consciousness were no exception. If anything, having a soul copied in it certainly gave Grimm Ruby a different perspective from its kin. It enjoyed this moment for all it was worth, for once it was over, it was back to the sadness and tragedy of this cruel war.


	14. Fear

A few hours had passed after that brief moment of innocence that both Rubies shared. It was a small and awkward moment full of stares and sad revelations regarding a certain Ruby lacking the ability to enjoy the mouth-watering pleasures of chocolate covered strawberries, but it was still a reward after the horrors they had endured to get here. Having returned to the base in a new ship and the same pilot from earlier, they were flying to Atlas…again.

"Hope you both had your fun while you could because we've still got hours left," the pilot said.

"Yeah," Ruby said. "So…it's really okay to take one of their ships? How'd you convince the military?"

"Oh, that? Dealing with Argus is a bunch of red tape. A few dozen forms here, a flattering patriotic comment there," the pilot spoke with a seen-it-all attitude. "It's ridiculous sometimes."

Ruby found the response strange, given how volatile his attitude was earlier today, but she didn't question it. If she didn't know better, she would have assumed this was a different man altogether. He seemed much friendlier now. Even Grimm Ruby noticed the change; that same festering negativity it saw earlier wasn't there anymore.

"Yep. I was glad to get transferred out of that place…although staying there might be a blessing in disguise now, given Atlas' fall."

"Atlas…about that," Ruby said. "Why did you fly all the way to that village?"

"What do you mean 'why?' I told you I was looking for you."

"Yeah, but why?" Ruby asked with clear suspicion. "And how did you know where to find me? I couldn't contact anybody from way out there, and we just happened to wander toward a village under attack by the Grimm…without a map."

"You don't trust me now?"

"Well," Ruby paused, shaking her head. "It just seems…convenient. Like 'saved in the nick of time' convenient. We were lost, and you knew where to find us anyway and…even fairy tales don't end with a deus ex machina."

"Who said I knew where to find you?" the pilot asked. "I came to find you and bring you back to what was left of Atlas because I owed an old lady a favor. She's the one that told me that the most likely place to look would be Mistral's northern peninsula. She said it would make us even and she had a way of making people do what she wanted, so I spent the past couple days flying all over Mistral looking for a 'red Huntress.' She said you'd be alone; nothing about a twin sister. And then there you were, jumping on the roof of that dilapidated inn. And now here I am, one of the last pilots of what used to be the greatest military in the world, now reduced to a flying taxi service because an old lady once saved my life over thirty years ago."

Both Rubies were intrigued, partially because listening to this man's story was the only thing to do without a video game to pass the time and partially because he even has a story at all.

"I was a kid, lived in a little village like the one wasted by the Grimm," he said, pulling an old monochrome photograph of a farm from his uniform pocket and passing it to Ruby, who looked at it. It portrayed a young boy standing with a woman, a man, and two girls, all of which were taller than the boy. "There's me, along with my parents, and my sisters, Raye and Mell. Our happy little family. Of course, it wouldn't last. Three guesses what took them away and the first two don't count."

"The Grimm," Ruby said somberly.

"Bingo. Whole farm was wiped. My pop didn't believe in living near the Academies with their rigid militaries and their school-taught Huntsmen. He thought he knew better because his dad was a veteran in the war. Against bandits, maybe, but Grimm don't fight like people do. They're willing to sacrifice their own to get to our blood."

Grimm Ruby clutched its claws in silent anger. It was one thing to have the memories of a Huntress dedicated to slaying Grimm, but another to actually be part of that species. The sad thing about it was that this man was absolutely right. That vile urge to murder everything around it was still there, buried deep beneath its subconscious. It knew more intimately than any human or Faunus how depraved the Grimm are. With a vengeful gaze, it nodded. Exterminating them all would be doing the world a favor.

"Sure, my pop fought to protect his family. Killed a whopping zero of them when the Grimm snapped his shotgun in half. This—" the pilot paused, his voice quivering for a second. "Was followed by thirty-two seconds of blood and screams. Then my ma was next, then Mell. Raye tried to flee for her life, but those bastards were faster than a twelve year old. I was hiding under a trench next to the creek, pissing myself in fear. I was so sure they were gonna find me until…she came."

"The old lady," Ruby muttered, entranced by the story. She heard enough of them to know a hero story when it started. This was the "doomed hometown" introduction.

"She wasn't old thirty years ago. Only thing that stood out was that mask she wore…and those scythes. She cleaved through Grimm like butter. I never saw anything like it. She saved my life that night; called herself…the Grimm Reaper."

Both Rubies reacted with simultaneous shock. They knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Maria," Ruby whispered, smiling.

"After that, she took me with her to civilization and I went on to live with my Uncle Titus. Unlike my pop, he _did_ believe in the military. Got me my first plane, got transferred to Atlas, applied my skills to the military, and the rest is history," he said with a sigh. "She was one of the best Huntresses in the world, but you probably wouldn't get it. Kids today usually don't. They just think of the Grimm Reaper as a legend before their time. They wouldn't understand just how much fear the last generation felt when she vanished."

Ruby's smile faded. She knew the entire truth behind why Maria went into hiding and how it plagued her with guilt when she told Ruby and her friends about how her eyes were slit. That fear never left her even after all those years. Grimm Ruby saw a spark of fear in the pilot's heart just when he finished his story. It had the lingering sense of trauma. This man never got over his past, but his demeanor suggests he goes out of his way to hide it.

"I never thought I'd really get a chance to really thank her…until one day she shows up as an old lady, holding one of those scythes as a cane. I knew who it was right away."

"You were finally able to thank her," Ruby said.

"Yeah. I didn't really know how to repay her, though. That is, until she told me exactly how. She laid it on me just like that. Fly out of Atlas and search around northern Mistral for the one Huntress that could really make a difference," the pilot explained with a cynical tone. Ruby's eyes widened from the last five words, however. She was surprised just how highly the elderly legend spoke of her. "Even now, I don't know what the old lady was getting at or how she could have known where to find you, but she seemed so sure. It's like she knew."

This explanation didn't provide as many answers as Ruby had thought. It only lead to more questions, but they'd have to come for another time.

"Did you see anyone else with her?" Ruby asked anxiously.

"A few Huntsmen around your age. Never met them before, so I didn't pay much attention to them. Why?"

"I think they might be my team," Ruby said, relieved. It gave her a sense of hope that her friends might still be alive, given how tragically the pilot spoke of Atlas.

"Oh, I see. Well, don't get too excited," the pilot said, turning some knobs next to him. "We're still hours away from Atlas; what's left of it anyway. What are you gonna do when you get there?"

The answer was obvious. Reunite with her team, continue the war against Salem, protect Remnant; typical Ruby Rose things. However, given how unexpectedly convenient and helpful this man is, Ruby still had her suspicions. Even when his was totaled, he was able to just get another one from Argus. She didn't even have the misfortune of dealing with Cordovin again. He even seemed to know Maria, which should have put her at ease, but another more foreboding theory popped in her head. Salem had been hunting the Silver-Eyed Warriors for centuries, if not longer, and she had followers to carry out her will. Maria was once a Silver-Eyed Warrior herself, and she fought one of Salem's followers to the death before she went into hiding. She hated to even consider this a possibility, but it might be possible that this man was another follower. Everything was too convenient ever since he showed up; too…perfect.

But there was no real proof, and this man was nothing but helpful, sudden temperamental changes notwithstanding. It wouldn't be right to just accuse this man of such a thing, plus if these suspicions were wrong, this man wouldn't even know who Salem was. Also, the fact that the Grimm attacked his ship wouldn't make sense if he was one of Salem's. For now, Ruby would keep her cards close to her chest. It seemed like the safest move for now. Grimm Ruby noted her fear as well, but said nothing.

"You know," Ruby answered, rolling her eyes. "Go back to fighting Grimm, righting wrongs, and all that stuff."

"I should've guessed," the pilot said. "I found you in the aftermath of a Grimm attack. Even when you're in a desperate situation, you can't seem to stay away from trouble when you see it."

"Just part of the job," Ruby said. The life of a Huntress was anything but boring, after all. Grimm Ruby had a different take on his compliment. They couldn't stay away from trouble. The Grimm were drawn to its presence, after all. It, too, was left feeling fear for those around it. Out of that fear, it turned toward the back of the ship, trying to sense any Grimm that might be in pursuit.

"Hey, you okay?" Ruby asked, noticing her Grimm self's worry. Sensing no Grimm behind them, it turned toward her and nodded. Of course, it wasn't being entirely honest. The ability to sense a person's negativity…no, being forced to sense it was scary in of itself. To peer deep into the very things people want to keep to themselves was like violating their trust. The last thing it wanted to do was explain that and possibly force those feelings out in the open. A similar event took place in Ruby's memories of Ozpin and the secrets that were forced out by Jinn. Among other things, that resulted with Ozpin's temporary "disappearance" and Oscar being manhandled…twice.

Everyone on the ship had their own inner fears, but nobody would admit it. There was an invisible segregation that took root on this simple flight, and Salem's goal had always been to divide and weaken humanity. Ozpin kept his secrets and was blamed by everybody for it, and now everybody had their own little secret. The irony of it all is that Grimm Ruby, Salem's creation, understood that completely, and yet it still couldn't confide what sensing the negativity of others was really like. Perhaps if it was alone with Ruby or even their friends, it might have been more open about the implications aside from its usefulness. The pilot, whose name was never spoken even once, was part of the fold for now. Being a copy, Grimm Ruby didn't feel it had the right to tell the original Ruby what to do or what to say to this man. It wasn't really living her life. It only remembered it.

The hours that passed felt like days, and Grimm Ruby noticed a growing change in the pilot's emotional state. Even though no more words have been spoken during the long ride, it sensed a great bitterness in him that permeated his inner trauma. This negativity was a much more familiar one, which didn't bode well. Once the ship was finally in the skies that bordered Atlas, both Rubies peered over the cockpit to get a closer look at the great city…or what was left of it. Their eyes widened in horror, and their mouths went agape. The last time Ruby was here, it was a giant floating landmass; a shining beacon of what mankind could achieve. Now, that once floating city was on the ground, cracked in two giant pieces, like one would crack an egg. Even worse was that one of the "halves" of the city ended up crushing part of Mantle. The pilot wasn't exaggerating; Atlas fell…literally.

"Oh my god," Ruby muttered, holding back tears in her eyes.

"It can't be! _This_ is Atlas?" Grimm Ruby exclaimed. "It's nothing like what I remember!"

"Would you two _shut up_?" the pilot said with venomous spite. Both Rubies were quick to glance at him after his sudden hostility.

"I'm sorry?" Ruby asked, confused.

"I told you both _again_ and _again_…that _Atlas had already fallen!_" the pilot snapped. "Or are you so _fucking_ dull that you can't comprehend that!"

"Whoa! Hey! Where's the sudden…yelling…coming from?" Ruby asked, growing nervous.

"You think I can _fucking fly this thing_ with your constant bitching?" the pilot snapped, removing his helmet and turning his vicious gaze at the Rubies. His angry red face was covered in sweat while mucus and sweat leaked down their respective orifices. His teeth chattered uncontrollably as the rest of his body twitched. Both Rubies quietly stared at him with open mouths for a brief moment until Ruby cautiously approached him.

"Uh…yeah, okay, but you seem a little…not okay," Ruby said, wanting to turn away but unable to take her eyes off his twisted face.

"Ruby, get away from him," Grimm Ruby whispered.

"I heard that!" the pilot yelled, getting up from his seat.

"What are you doing? Get back on the wheel!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Something's wrong with him," Grimm Ruby said, holding her back with its claw. "It's just like at the—"

The pilot shambled toward Ruby, his face contorted by twisted rage, and pulled a large revolver from his holster. It looked like one of the guns that Ironwood used back in Atlas. He quickly pointed it at Ruby with his finger on the trigger.

"Wait, don't—" Ruby yelled before the inevitable pull of the trigger. Out of reflex, she burst into petals with her Semblance, causing the bullet to ricochet across the ship until it pierced one of the windows. Alarmed by his sudden hostility and unarmed due to a lack of a scythe, she took cover behind one of the other seats. It wouldn't really stop a bullet from a revolver, but being out of his line of sight would give her a couple of seconds to think. In that time, she was already considering ways to subdue him.

Before Ruby had a chance to try anything, she heard his gun fire again, followed by a loud crash. She didn't get a chance to see where the bullet struck, but the situation quieted almost immediately afterward. Seeing a few parachutes hanging from the back of the pilot's seat, she formulated a plan that involved tying him up with the net folded inside. She was about to dash to the ship's side door, then the parachutes, then the enraged pilot himself in one single use of her Semblance…except that Grimm Ruby was already standing mere inches from the man itself. Judging from the earlier crash and how the front end of the ship has visible claw marks, Ruby suspected that her Grimm self left that mark to make an impression on him.

"Gruby, I—" Ruby exclaimed.

"No," Grimm Ruby interrupted, glaring at the demented pilot. "I have my own plan."

Before he had a chance to shoot again, Grimm Ruby grabbed his arm with its left claw and his throat with its right. It was careful not to dig its claws in his flesh or break his bones, but still held him firmly enough to restrain him. Seeing this, Ruby quickly grabbed one of the parachutes and snapped it open, pulling out some of the net.

"Okay, just bring him over here, so I can tie him up. Maybe we can see what his deal is," Ruby said frantically, but noticed that her Grimm self made no attempt to bring him to the net. She quickly grabbed her Grimm self by the shoulder. "Come on!"

"_Stay out of this!_" Grimm Ruby snapped, glaring at its original self with fanged teeth and glowing red eyes. Its voice was so vile and pervasive that Ruby flinched like she was hit by something. Grimm Ruby turned its attention back to the pilot, speaking in its usual distorted Ruby voice. "I've seen something like this back at the village."

It slowly twisted the pilot's arm inward, so that the barrel of his revolver touched its own forehead. Without another word, Grimm Ruby silently dared the pilot to shoot. His hand twitched, but he ultimately squeezed the trigger.

"Wh…what are you—" Ruby said, still shaken by her Grimm self's painful voice. A loud bang pierced her ears when the pilot shot Grimm Ruby at point-blank range. She gasped, fearing for her Grimm self's safety, only to find that it stood completely unfazed by the bullet. A single indent and some residue marked Grimm Ruby's forehead, but it didn't even so much as acknowledge the bullet that dropped to the floor. It kept its cruel gaze focused entirely on him.

The frenzied pilot seethed with an angry desperation, wiggling his right arm and swiping at Grimm Ruby's face with his free left one. He resorted to scratching it across the face like a wild animal, but winced in pain when his flesh struck its rigid face. Grimm Ruby loosened its grip over his right arm, sliding its claw across his elbow, and allowed him to move his arm again. It narrowed its eyes, silently daring him to try anything else.

The poor man resorted to lifting his arm up and striking Grimm Ruby with the grip of his revolver…only for the gun to shatter on contact with its skin. At that moment, it felt the fear in the pilot's heart and took it all in. What little damage on its forehead mended right in front of him, striking helplessness in his heart. The horror intensified when Grimm Ruby slowly lifted him by the throat, glaring at him with an inhuman growl and glowing red eyes. Spurts of saliva were forced from his mouth as he choked, and Grimm Ruby's angry visage came inches from his face before it delivered its ultimatum.

"Fly. The. Ship," Grimm Ruby said in a whisper that was no less hostile than any rage-fueled scream, then released his throat and let his body slip to the floor. Ruby watched this entire scene with both awe and fear. Her mind flashed back to the moment she saw her Grimm self fought the Revenants before she joined that fight with her eyes. It was one thing to watch other Grimm have their limbs brutally ripped apart, but this moment was a testament to how easily it could do so to a living person. It left him hurt and humiliated so easily. If it wasn't for the fact that the pilot just snapped and tried to kill her, Grimm Ruby's actions would easily have been considered excessive. Seeing his broken tears, however, made Ruby question if it was worth it.

"Gruby? You—" Ruby said, clearly mortified.

"I know," Grimm Ruby interrupted with a frown, unable to look her in the eye. "A Huntress isn't supposed to make the people around them afraid…but nothing else was gonna get through to him. I felt this kind of anger in the village. I couldn't stop the people there from killing each other."

Ruby's trepidation slowly gave way to sorrow.

"I tried reasoning with them," Grimm Ruby said, lifting its head up. "I tried to get them to understand what they were doing before it was too late, but…I couldn't get through to them. Their love…couldn't overcome the hate they fell under. They murdered their neighbors; family and friends. I had to try something else."

It glanced at the shivering pilot, looking him square in the eye. Without a word toward him, he quickly dragged himself back on the cockpit.

"Fear," Grimm Ruby said quietly. "I took a guess, but now I know…fear works against this twisted hatred."

"Did you find out what's causing it?" Ruby asked after a pause. "We have to stop it before anyone else dies."

At first, Grimm Ruby was confused as to why she'd ask something like that. It realized, though, that Ruby hadn't actually seen people fall under this type of hatred. She'd only heard about it from Grimm Ruby and accepted it as truth when she saw the aftermath.

"I…" Grimm Ruby tried to respond, but stopped. It did have a suspicion over what caused it…but that possibility was too painful to even think about. "Not yet."

Deep down, Grimm Ruby wondered if its presence caused the village massacre, but it couldn't bring itself to say such a thing. It was too afraid to accept such a thing; to be the unwitting culprit of so many deaths. And so, it remained on the ship. It wanted to follow Ruby's example of hope: that perhaps her friends, the ones it also remembers, wouldn't be made to do what the pilot just did. It clung to the smallest chance that there was another explanation. That was the one thing keeping it from jumping out of the ship altogether.

Fear was a primal emotion for the Grimm. It was one of the few things Grimm Ruby had an acute awareness of that wasn't related to Ruby in any way. Deep beneath its subconscious, where the desire to destroy remained buried, was a single instinct that gave it the idea to oppose this hate with fear.

"_Do you feel it? Don't fight it, girl. It can sense your trepidation. You must make it dread you._"


	15. Cold Reunion Part 1

Nothing but quiet dread had enveloped both Rubies for the next few minutes. All remaining thoughts of reunion and hope were lost in the wake of what just happened. For Ruby, she didn't know whether to think the pilot might kill someone in his manic state…or if her Grimm self might kill him first. That dread quickly faded when she heard a familiar elderly voice from the radio.

"This is Manta 2-4. I see you've entered our airspace. What's left of it anyway. State your intent. Over."

Ruby immediately gasped and rushed toward the radio, ignoring the pilot entirely. She knew exactly who this was.

"Maria? Maria, it's me!" she exclaimed.

"Ruby? Has my hearing gone bad or—"

"No, it's me!" Ruby exclaimed, fumbling the radio transceiver in her hand briefly. "I…I'm making my way back! I…I…Over?"

"Ruby?" Maria said cheerfully. "Hahah! Ruby!"

"My team? My friends? Are they…uh, over?" Ruby said awkwardly.

"Leave the jargon to the professionals. Over."

A sigh of relief left Ruby's lips. At least Maria was okay, and by the sound of her voice, the others were, too. She must be communicating from the other ship she and Pietro stole from Atlas shortly after Ironwood's fall from grace. That's the only way she could have noticed their ship so quickly. That sudden rush of emotions made her unable to vocally respond. So much had happened in such a short time that she didn't even know what to say next.

Meanwhile, Grimm Ruby noticed the pilot glancing over at Ruby with a cruel anger in his eyes and acted immediately. His hand twitched, like he was about to strangle her, but the sentient Grimm extended its scythe between him and Ruby, so that the blade would act as a warning. He saw the bulging eye from his seat and glanced back at Grimm Ruby, who glared at him with bared fangs and glowing red eyes. The scythe itself exuded a tear that left a acidic burn on the floor of the ship, which did well to intimidate the pilot into complying with Grimm Ruby's silent demand.

"I can see you from here," Maria said. "There's a large strip of road about a few feet southwest of what's left of that old pharmacy. You remember the place, right? It's where I used to go to get my eyes fixed. You can land there and we can catch up…assuming we're not having our hands full again."

"I'm not flying the ship. Actually, I'm—" Ruby said, then stopped when she turned toward the pilot…and saw Grimm Ruby's scythe in between them followed by the pilot's whole body shivering. Instantly, she felt pangs of guilt over what Grimm Ruby had to do. At the very least, it wouldn't have to be doing this for much longer. Despite whatever was happening to this man, both Rubies owed him a great deal of gratitude. She just hoped he would be in a better mood to receive it.

It didn't take very long for the pilot to land the ship where Maria instructed, even though neither Ruby actually told him where it was. Probably another link between him and the old Grimm Reaper, but that story could wait. When the ship did land, Grimm Ruby disembarked immediately. It felt guilty having to terrify the man the way that it did, and didn't want to stay another second. Ruby, on the other hand, tended to him…after he opened the cockpit and fell to the ground below.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked with concern, but kept her distance just in case he became violent again. Instead, he laid still with the left side of his face embedded in the ground and vomited. She quickly turned away her face in disgust. "Ew."

Meanwhile, Grimm Ruby was far enough away from the ship to see the other one land nearby. It remained still, neither approaching the ship or fleeing from it. It didn't know what to say or how it would react when they eventually saw it. It did, however, glance back to the ship they flew in, wondering what Ruby was doing. Its attention remained in that direction until it heard Maria's voice break its focus.

"So you _are_ still alive! That sure was a close one, huh?" she said, prompting Grimm Ruby to look at her. She looked just like in Ruby's memories: an elderly woman with dark skin and long silver hair with a single braid. Maria wore a full-length dress consisting of a dark blue top with full sleeves and a skirt comprised of alternating light and dark blue layers. The ensemble was complete with a walking stick comprised of a natural wooden shaft with an ornate blue skull on the top. "You know, I never doubted you for a moment. And to think some of the others spent the whole day moping, all ready to throw in the towel and sing elegies about you."

"Oh…uh, yeah," Grimm Ruby said, slightly confused. It wasn't doing anything to hide its appearance from Maria, yet she didn't seem to react to it.

"Well, let's not just stand here all night," Maria said, twirling her stick and pointing it to the pharmacy that Ruby met Pietro in during her first time in Atlas. If her memories were of any indication, the pharmacy had seen better days than now, though it was still in one piece. That couldn't be said for all of the buildings that were crushed under Atlas…literally.

"It's quiet," Grimm Ruby said. Something was off; it expected much more negativity for what was, for lack of a better term, the ravaged remains of Mantle. There was none; not even a single Grimm. There was nothing at all…save for the green lights that traced along the night sky. At first, it thought the lights were just aircraft seen from thousands of feet below, but the lights moved too quickly to be aircraft. It was only after the lights soared closer that Grimm Ruby noticed a silhouette that contrasted the fractured moon. "Wait. I remember that light. It's—"

Before it finished, the silhouette descended from the sky and hovered just over the ground with rocket thrusters implemented in their boots. The figure's long orange hair contrasted with their white and green Victorian dress.

"I…I know you," Grimm Ruby said in awe. "You're…Penny."

The figure looked at Grimm Ruby, and she gasped with eyes that shined with joy. A clear look at her face confirmed its thoughts; it was Penny. Before it could say anything, she leaned forward a bit.

"Sal…" Penny said, crouching a bit.

"Huh?"

"U…"

"Uh…"

"_Tati_-aaah?" Penny exclaimed, gleefully sprinting toward Grimm Ruby at high speed…only to stop mid "tations" with a confused expression. "Oh. I apologize. You greatly resembled someone I—" She stopped and tilted her head a bit. "Ruby? Are you Ruby?"

"Of course it's Ruby!" Maria exclaimed with a cheeky grin. "I told you all, didn't I? There's a reason we never found a body. I knew she wasn't dead!"

"Actually, I—" Grimm Ruby muttered quietly.

"_Ons!_" Penny exclaimed, finishing her earlier sprint toward Grimm Ruby. She leaped and activated her jets again, rocketing forward and tackling Grimm Ruby, who slides a few feet across the ground, but it otherwise standing. "It is such a pleasure to see you again! Oh, but there are many things different about you since we've last met, Ruby my friend."

"Huh," Maria said. "Now that you mention it, there _is _something different about you."

"Uh…yeah," Grimm Ruby said, turning its gaze. "You finally noticed."

"Your voice is a bit deeper, if you ask me, and you're spewing more negativity than anything I've ever seen," Maria said, her prosthetic eyes narrowing. "You've picked an inconvenient time to go through puberty, child!"

Grimm Ruby's mouth went agape and blinked repeatedly. Of all the responses it would have expected, this wasn't one of them.

"Huh?"

"Well, it would explain everything," Maria said, shrugging her shoulders. "You might seem placid on the surface, but my preflexes don't lie. You're practically about to burst on the inside."

"Maria, I do not believe that physical maturation would explain the color of Ruby's skin and eyes. They are very different." Penny asked, and Maria's prosthetic eyes widened. "Even my sensors are fooled into believing she is a Grimm."

"First cosplay, now puberty?" Grimm Ruby muttered. Was there really that much refuge in the audacity of a sentient Grimm?

"What color?" Maria asked. "Ruby, what is she talking about?"

Before Grimm Ruby could answer, the original Ruby came into view from the back of the ship she disembarked from, carrying the now sick pilot over her right shoulder and left arm.

"H-hey! Maria! Penny! Oh my gosh! Penny! It's me! I…" Ruby shouted while dragging the pilot, then whispered to herself. "Careful, careful."

"Ruby?" Penny asked, tilting her head in confusion again.

"Careful! He might still be crazy!" Grimm Ruby exclaimed. Its limbs were coiled inward, about ready to pounce on this guy until Ruby gently set him down.

"It's okay," she said, stopping to catch her breath. "He's…fine…kinda. Penny, Maria…I was—"

The pilot quivered his lips in an attempt to respond, but collapsed to his hands and knees and vomited.

"_Two_ Rubies? I have absolutely no idea what's going on." Maria said, glancing back and forth from one Ruby to the other. She noticed the pilot wobbling over Ruby's shoulder, barely standing. "Coop? How did you…oh never mind. Look, I know you've got about a whole idealistic speech about never giving up to say and I've got about twenty questions about 'the twin that you never brought up before,' but maybe the rest of those kids will sleep easier knowing I was right."

"You were—" Ruby was about to ask, only to be stopped by Penny.

"Ruby, what has happened? We thought you had died. Our friends, my father, your uncle, your sister. We couldn't even find your signal."

"Meaning we couldn't find your body," Maria said in an 'I told you so' tone. "Which is why _I_ knew you weren't dead. See? Coop came through for us after all."

"And where did this other Ruby come from? Do you have a twin sister with gray skin that may be going through 'the puberty?'" Penny asked, looking at Grimm Ruby with her finger on her cheek.

"Huh?" Ruby said shortly after her mouth went agape and she blinked repeatedly. "I mean…Penny, it's not…the strangely inappropriate thing you think it is. She's, uh…another me…that, uh…"

Grimm Ruby frowned, turning away. It knew she was trying to hold the terrible explanation off for as long as possible.

"Let's not stand out here all day," Maria said, walking away from the group. "It's cold outside!"

Both Rubies paused, staring at the nonchalant old lady, then glanced at each other and shrugged. They've already went through stranger moments than this anyway.

"Uhhhhh," the sick pilot moaned, lying stiff on the ground. Penny ran to him without delay, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He responded with more moaning, giving her more reason to worry. She quickly cradled him over her arms and lifted him up, then looked at both Rubies. "We have so many things to catch up about, but it seems we will have to wait. I must get him to a hospital and I am still on duty."

"Wait, I thought Atlas had fallen. Isn't Mantle—" Ruby said.

"Dependent on Atlas? In a way, it is. It had certainly seen better days, but unlike Ironwood…" Maria said, looking at Penny. "_Some_ people take the job of protecting lives more seriously. Even after everything she went through, she refuses to just give up. She's more the Protector of Mantle than the military ever was, if you asked me."

Ruby smiled, watching her robotic, but very real, friend. Penny walked a few steps with the pilot in her arms, where Grimm Ruby was standing. When the two were close enough for the pilot to look into Grimm Ruby's eyes, he screamed hysterically.

"Please remain calm. I'm here to—" Penny said, looking down at him with worry, then paused when her eyes caught Grimm Ruby. "Oh…I understand now. You do look like a Grimm. Your face must have frightened him."

"Yeah…that must be it," Grimm Ruby replied with a frown, turning away. Penny didn't know the real reason he was so terrified. It didn't have the courage to explain it right now. It didn't even have the courage to tell anyone else that it really was a Grimm. Sooner or later, the truth was going to come out, and there was no telling what would happen when it did. If it weren't for the fact that Grimm Ruby, like the original Ruby, was eager to continue her journey…their journey as Huntresses, it would have crept away from the city the second that the plane landed in Mantle.


	16. Cold Reunion Part 2

At first glance, the pharmacy almost felt abandoned. The once neat and organized shelves were in a distorted mess. The already paint-chipped walls now had cracks that went all the way from the floor to the ceiling. The floor itself was distorted beneath Ruby as she walked, and the ceiling looked like it could cave in any minute. Finally, the lighting was much dimmer than the first time she'd set foot in this place. Aside from the exposed wires on the inside, Mantle's collapse did a number on the power lines outside. The blinking lights were powered only by a nearby generator in the corner, where the garbage can used to be. That, too, contributed to the overall disheveled feel of this place.

The air was so filthy that Ruby had a coughing fit after her first deep inhale. It was too quiet. The whole place looked and felt like something in a warzone, not a place to rest. As far as she was aware, it really was. The quiet atmosphere was betrayed only by the sounds of heavy snoring. It was the middle of the night, after all. As much as she wanted to just run inside and hug everybody, a part of her wanted to stay silent and let them rest. She would've just laid on the nearby couch if she didn't hear Yang's voice from the other room.

"I can't sleep, Blake. I'm gonna go back out again."

"Yang?" Ruby gasped, tripping along the distorted floor.

"Ruby?" Yang exclaimed from the other room. A large gathering of footsteps quickly approached her. It was easily more than one person. Meanwhile, the sounds of muffled whining just barely reached Ruby's ears. When Yang came from the dark of the other room and saw Ruby on the floor, she wasted no time scooping her up and hugging her…hard.

"Oh my god! Ruby!" Yang exclaimed, tears freely falling from her face. "I thought…I thought I lost you!"

"Yang," Ruby choked out from her tears…and her compressed spine. In her numb, yet also sore state, Ruby saw two more figures through the strands of Yang's hair. One had a long white braid; the other had short black hair with cat ears. "Weiss…Blake…can't…breathe."

"We thought you were dead!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Aaaah…legs…numb," Ruby choked out until Yang loosened her bear hug. "I…I'm sorry. I was taken…and…Salem…she…"

Words failed Ruby now; she could only cry the joyful tears of reunion. Even in the midst of a city brought to ruin, her nightmares of losing those she loved was over…for now.

"Hey! Would you people keep it down? Some of us have to get up for the morning shift!" another familiar voice yelled from the other room.

"Nora!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Ruby?" another voice yelled.

"Jaune!"

She was already getting exhausted by all the attention. Three more people around her age pushed themselves from the door, excited…and a bit tired; a blonde male, a shorter female with orange hair, and a male with long black hair with a magenta streak on his left. Their hug was much less crushing…and much more wobbly.

"Jaune, Nora, Ren. It's okay. I'm okay," Ruby said, more tears drifting down her cheeks.

"You had us worried sick! We looked everywhere in that murky world and…" Nora exclaimed, trying to sound angry, but ended up yawning mid-sentence.

"We thought we'd lost you," Jaune added. Ruby noted the sags under his eyes. He was tired. His whole team was tired. They were dressed in pajamas, clearly groggy from getting out of bed so suddenly.

"Where's everybody else?" Ruby asked.

"It's their turn to go on patrol," Jaune said.

"Patrol? Wait, what's going on? I thought the city was destroyed," Ruby asked.

"It was," Ren answered.

"Ruby, how did you escape from Evernight?" Blake asked.

"Well," Ruby said hesitantly, folding her arms behind her back. "I had a little help."

"Don't just stand there," Maria's voice was heard from the door outside. "It's cold out, and this old lady still has three more hours ahead of her."

The door thrust open, revealing a silhouette with a stature similar to Ruby's, but with a red hue in its eyes. Unnerved by this mysterious presence, the other three members of Team RWBT immediately unholstered their weapons and prepared for a fight.

"Wait!" Ruby yelled, spreading her arms out in front of her teammates. "It's okay! She's with me!"

"She?" Jaune asked.

Grimm Ruby stepped into the pharmacy, barely visible by the flickering light. Its foreboding red eyes and gray skin belied its anxiety. The way its head fidgeted all over its surroundings save for the people in front of it highlighted its true feelings so much more.

"Uh…hi," it said. Everybody save Ruby, Maria, and Grimm Ruby itself stared blankly with confusion in their eyes and agape mouths. Grimm Ruby squinted, anticipating an outburst.

"Hey, Gruby. You remember the team, right?" Ruby asked.

"Gruby?" Weiss squinted.

"It looks just like…" Yang muttered, looking at Grimm Ruby with unbelieving eyes. "Who _is_ that?"

"And why does it look like Ruby?" Blake added.

The rest of the group grew more and more nervous with each passing second. Grimm Ruby could feel that much emanating from everyone. In an attempt to seem more endearing, it folded its arms behind its back. Judging from the stares, it clearly wasn't working.

"Yeah, this is awkward," Grimm Ruby muttered in defeat.

"Everybody?" Ruby said, stepping in to greet her other self properly. "This is Gruby. She's, uh…another me."

Though their initial reaction was far from the heartwarming expression of gratitude that its original self received, Grimm Ruby noticed an improvement when Weiss and Blake lowered their weapons…by dropping them to the floor with utter shock on their faces.

"Another…you?" Jaune asked.

"_Wwwwhen_ did you get a twin?" Nora added.

"Uh…you want to answer that?" Ruby whispered to her Grimm self.

"I think they'll listen to you more," it whispered back with a nervous look. Ruby took a deep inhale to address the bizarre story as quickly as possible.

"Salem had me gagged and took me to some black room full of Grimm and a pool. She conjured up these…_tentacles_ and dug them all over my body, then I got these horrible nightmares in my mind, then everything went blank until I woke up and saw...other me carrying me in some freezing middle of nowhere. The Grimm were constantly following us and I didn't have Crescent Rose, so I was stuck with just my eyes, but other me made her own scythe out of Grimm and it has an eye and it cries tears that are like acid and everything around her burns with this evil-looking fire when she moves faster than walking speed."

Everybody stood silent; their body language stiff and their faces incredulous. That clearly left more questions than answers. Even the original Ruby could sense how ridiculous everyone thought the events of the last few days were. She didn't even get to the part about the village and the Atlesian ship yet.

"So…you saved her?" Blake inquired.

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby answered. "I couldn't just let her die. I don't care what I am. What Salem did to her was _sick_!"

"Is that right?" Yang's mood lightened. "Then I should thank you for keeping my little sister safe. Wait, if you're another Ruby, does that make you another little sister?"

"You know, we had a little talk about that," Grimm Ruby said. "It got weird."

"And just what are you anyway?" Weiss asked, still suspicious.

"I…" Grimm Ruby hesitated. A cold self-loathing crept in its heart. "I'm a Creature of Grimm."

Everyone's faces, save for both Rubies, went pale. They tried to hide it. Their very occupation mandated that they fight the Grimm without hesitation, yet Grimm Ruby could feel the collective spark of fear from the very idea of being close to such a creature. The awkward quiet only caused Grimm Ruby to grow more nervous. From its point of view, it was as if the very friends it traveled and bonded with for years suddenly turned on it. That wasn't really the case, but the feeling of it was very real.

"What?" Jaune whispered, barely breaking the silence.

"_You're_ Grimm?" Nora added.

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby said shamefully. "I'm like…a new age Grimm. Faster, stronger, uh…scarier. _Really_ scarier. I rose from the pool, the one Ruby mentioned. It's what all the Grimm Salem conjure up come from. She…filled me with all her memories and—" Its face contorted into a vile grimace. "—worse. She tortured Ruby, made her relive the worst moments of her life over and over! I still feel them; the nightmares, _they're always fresh in my mind_!"

In its anger, dark flames formed beneath Grimm Ruby. The already distorted floor quickly went black from the flames. When it saw the alarmed faces of everyone else, including Ruby, it realized what it did and backed away. Weiss quickly retrieved her weapon and conjured an ice glyph to put out the fire.

"What are you doing?" Blake exclaimed.

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Grimm Ruby said in a whimper, going from nervous to remorseful. It slowly back into a corner, away from the flickering light; its only visible feature being the pair of red eyes cautiously watching the others. "That fire's like a part of me I have to contain! It comes out when I let out my anger…or move fast…or if I'm just not careful."

"So you're liable to _burn_ someone at the most inopportune time?" Weiss bluntly asked.

"I…" Grimm Ruby tried to speak, but stopped when it remembered that very thing happening to Ruby's arm. It could only slink back into the dark corner, unable to face Weiss or offer a response.

"Weiss, she's not a monster," Ruby said. "She just…looks like one."

"I'm not judging her on her looks," Weiss countered. "We just saw its feet burst into flames. It's not rude to want to keep your distance, it's smart. You know, this is just like when we first met all over again. I swore that you were a hazard to my health."

"You mean when I literally exploded a hole in front of Beacon?" Ruby asked, unable to withhold her smile.

"There was fire then, too, and I think some ice," Grimm Ruby added, peeking from the dark corner. Weiss glanced at it, displaying open surprise at its intimate knowledge of the embarrassing event.

"You _do_ have her memories," she said. "That's actually really concerning. If she knows that, then what _doesn't_ she know about us? And while I'm at it, what doesn't _Salem_ know?"

"Weiss, stop!" Ruby exclaimed. "She's not working for Salem!"

"That doesn't mean Salem couldn't use her!" Weiss countered. "If your…clone knows everything you know, Salem probably does. Think about it. Your dad's living alone on your island. She could go after him to get to you, and maybe your little dog, too."

"Uh…well," Ruby muttered, unable to retort.

"And what about the Grimm we saw in Ironwood's office? The Seer?" Weiss added. "Salem _spoke_ to Ironwood through it. She saw you; she could _hear_ you. And if Salem could see and hear through other Grimm, what are the chances that she could see and hear through the eyes and ears of this—" She made a hand gesture toward Grimm Ruby. "—'new age Grimm.' Salem could be listening in on us right now!"

Grimm Ruby's mouth went agape. Of all the possible dangers that went through its mind, this wasn't one of them. Weiss was right, though. She had every reason to think Salem could be listening in on their conversation…assuming the God of Darkness that spoke to it earlier wouldn't intervene with his own agenda, but that wasn't any more comforting. It saw Ruby trying in vain to defend it, but all that came from her mouth was inaudible blubber. Even she knew Weiss wasn't wrong.

"Hey, I don't want to be the cause of any fighting between you two," Grimm Ruby said, holding its claws out in the light. "I'd understand if you never wanted to lay eyes on me again."

"I don't know," Yang mused. "Seems like the clone didn't do anything wrong. She didn't choose to be created like that, plus she saved Ruby. We can't blame her for this."

"But Weiss does make a good argument," Blake added. "Even if she is like Ruby, can we really trust a Grimm?"

"I already did my own test with her," Ruby said. "She passed. She remembers everything about my life, even the things I keep to myself. There's no way she's a monster."

"But you do have a plan, right?" Blake asked with concern. "What if she does turn on us?"

"I…" Ruby muttered.

"She could kill me," Grimm Ruby interjected, its red eyes visible from the shadows once more. "Silver eyes, remember? I'm Grimm. She could literally kill me just by looking at me funny. I should know. They…_really_ hurt."

"Oh," Ruby chuckled. "Yeah, that was an accident."

"But you're still alive," Jaune said, clearly unconvinced.

"Yeah, well…my body turned to stone when it happened…twice," Grimm Ruby explained.

"And your body's not stone now," Nora said, also unconvinced.

"Actually, both times it happened," Grimm Ruby said hesitantly, looking at Ruby. "I was able to draw strength from…someone else's…suffering and negativity to free myself." It looked at everyone else's eyes, realizing what it said, and quickly stuttered. "Y-you know, like other Grimm. I could replenish myself by killing other Grimm."

"That's really weird," Yang said with a raised eyebrow. "'The Grimm that hunts other Grimm.' It'd make a good movie."

"Well, they are drawn to me, so it's kinda unavoidable," Grimm Ruby said.

"So you inexplicably start fires, restore yourself when something's hurt, _and_ Grimm are drawn to you?" Weiss said in a deadpan tone. "You're not doing much to win me over."

Both Rubies wanted to say something else in Grimm Ruby's defense, but they've reached an impasse. They didn't trust Grimm Ruby, and no idealistic speech was going to change that. It was that simple…or perhaps not. It might have been that simple in Ruby's eyes, but Grimm Ruby could gauge each individual level of negative emotion, including doubt.

Weiss distrusted it the most, but her heart was also plagued by feelings of sorrow toward the fate of her home. Atlas fell; her home, her family, and the Dust company. It was all gone. Furthermore, it fell on Mantle and took the homes of thousands of others as well. She had more than a good reason to be distrustful of anything related to the witch responsible for invading Atlas. For that reason, Grimm Ruby could emphasize.

Blake wasn't so plagued, but a lifetime of hiding her Faunus heritage and her time in the White Fang left her with a cynical outlook. There wasn't very much in the way of real mistrust, however. At least, it wasn't any more mistrust than she'd give to any other stranger. It was probably just a need to play things safe.

Yang was mostly just confused about the whole thing, but considerably less negative than the others. No doubt, the sudden reappearance of her sister made her very happy, but Grimm Ruby couldn't sense positivity.

The three members of Team JNR were much harder to read. There was a little mistrust, but mostly just physical exhaustion. Of course, Grimm Ruby's ability to sense negativity didn't contribute to its knowledge of that. They simply looked and sounded exhausted.

"So, what do we do?" Ren asked. Ruby took notice of this. He barely said anything about all of this.

"We'll follow your lead," Blake reluctantly added. At least, she trusted the original Ruby.

"She saved my life. We worked together. We fought together and—" Ruby said, curling her hand into a fist and holding it to her heart. "—we share the same soul."

Everyone else reacted with quiet surprise. Their faces looked so solemn and confused.

"Uh…why'd everybody get quiet?" Ruby asked.

"That's the first time you've ever said something like that," Yang explained. "'You share the same soul.' That doesn't sound very Ruby-like."

"Well, maybe…but it's true," Ruby shrugged. Her voice grew more stunted and awkward. "I mean, we have the same thoughts, the same memories, the same personality. I mean, she's even a dork over weapons! Salem did…something…to me, and made her; made her _too_ well, that is. Pushing her away would be like…like pushing away a piece of myself…I think. I don't really…know how else to say it. She isn't just a copy of me; she _is_ me!"

Grimm Ruby picked that moment to step out of the darkness to stand beside Ruby. Its open stance and honest expression allowed everybody to see it for what it was, fearsome visage and all. A part of it hoped they would understand with time. It remembered Ruby's friendships with them all; their bond. It couldn't bring itself to just abandon them, especially when things are so grim.

Both Rubies extended their arms; hand and claw opened. Their stances matched one another the way a being of light would cast a shadow. Grimm Ruby nodded to the others; a single bestial grunt to assure them of its allegiance. It was Ruby, but forged by tools of Destruction, not Creation. That's what it wanted to say, but it didn't sound very Ruby-like. It felt too awkward to say out loud. Their facial expressions and relaxed posture from the others suggested a resigned acceptance. Forging the bonds that were never broken would take time. They weren't officially "allies," but who can say what the future will bring.


	17. Cold Reunion Part 3

The grand reunion was…awkward. For the Rubies, it was the fact that their friends were meeting Grimm Ruby for the first time…with varied feelings. For everyone else, it was the fact that this humanlike and verbose Grimm with an uncanny physical and emotional resemblance to Ruby came out of nowhere. The two sat together on the disheveled couch; their unassuming and innocent postures sitting side-by-side like mirrored reflections.

"So…who wants to say it?" Jaune asked, out of the blue.

"Say what?" Ruby asked.

"How _creepy_ this is," Jaune said, glancing at Ruby. "We thought we lost you, then you came back…twice. We have two of you."

"It's like that story of the guy that lost his cat, then found him, then the cat came back, and he has _two identical cats,"_ Nora said with narrowed eyes, completely with arm movements to emphasize both Rubies.

"Except they're not identical at all," Jaune said nervously, glancing at Grimm Ruby. "In fact, she…kind of looks like Salem."

"More like Salem and Ruby put in a blender," Yang said.

"What?" Ruby exclaimed. "Come on, they don't look that similar."

"No, I see what Yang's saying," Weiss added. "You saw what Jinn showed us. Compare that to what she looks like now. If we were to assume that you couldn't be killed and jumped in the Pool of Destruction…"

"Ruby would come out, looking like her," Blake finished, glancing at Grimm Ruby.

"I know!" Nora exclaimed, squinting as her face came within inches of Grimm Ruby. "You've got this…weird 'palette swap' thing going on. What exactly are you supposed to be? Her evil clone?"

"Oh yeah," Grimm Ruby said in a deadpan tone, rolling her eyes. "_Real _original, Nora. Look, I _know_ I'm a fake! I can't hide that from you or anybody else. I just don't care."

"Salem made you in Ruby's image," Weiss skeptically pointed out. "Her memories, her personality…and you don't care?"

"Well…okay, maybe I do care…a little," Grimm Ruby admitted. It glanced up at Weiss, who immediately looked even less trusting than before. In an attempt to salvage what it just said, it held out its claws. "Oh, come on! How would _you_ feel if you found out your whole life was really someone else's and your hands have this sharp _things_ where your fingers used to be?"

"Sorry," Grimm Ruby said, looking down at its knees. "What I mean is…I remember what life was like before…this. At Beacon, I was just this girl that wanted to have normal knees. Then Beacon fell, and two of my friends died with it. I chose to keep moving forward for the sake of those that were still with us…only now, I know that I wasn't really the one that made that choice. And the friends and school I lost weren't really mine, either. They were Ruby's. I didn't even choose to be made the way I was, with Ruby's memories, but that's the way it is. I can't choose to be human. I can't even choose to have normal knees. I'm stuck with these…_cold black knees_. The only choice I do have is to try and do as much good as I can, because that's what the original Ruby would do. Her choices are all I have."

"Wow. I…I don't know what to say," Weiss said, her face showing immediate remorse. Jaune and Nora were also a bit less hostile, but remained silent.

"I get it. It's okay," Grimm Ruby said, letting out a resigned bestial growl. "You have every reason not to trust me. After everything Salem did, I wouldn't trust me either. I was built to be an unstoppable monster, and I'll probably be hunted by the brave Huntsmen of the world just because of that fact. I'm just not letting that define me."

"That's something our Ruby would say," Blake said, intrigued.

"I can't work for Salem," Grimm Ruby said in an icy tone, concealing its deep anger. "Not after what she did to Ruby and everyone else. She's the one at fault. She…cursed me to live like this. She made me this way. If I so much as see her again, I'll rip out her arms and bite her face and make her scream _over and over and over_."

"And…that's something our Ruby wouldn't say," Blake said, unnerved. Everyone else, including the original Ruby, shared Blake's feelings concerning Grimm Ruby's animosity toward its creator. The cold and cruel gaze on its face gave the impression that there was truly a monster beneath the sentient Grimm's copied personality.

"That's more like something a Grimm would say," Yang added. Grimm Ruby instantly reeled its anger back, knowing that it made even the most supportive of Ruby's teammates nervous.

"I know it's hard to trust her, but…she did save me. She's not evil," Ruby said, putting her hand over Grimm Ruby's shoulder. "Even if she does look like some evil reflection of me in a comic book."

"Hey, you still have your comics, right?" Grimm Ruby whispered to its original self.

"Uh, I don't know," Ruby said. "I left them in the Academy before…you know…everything. Why?"

"Just something to make me feel like I'm human again," Grimm Ruby whispered somberly. "I mean, not '_again _again', just…you know what I mean. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I just thought…maybe I could just read for a while. Maybe I can do that much. On second thought, never mind."

Everyone else paused, their faces filled with confusion. Grimm Ruby still sensed everyone else's collective mistrust.

"Hmm," Jaune hummed, deep in a thinking pose. "Even if she is like our Ruby, there's still a chance that Salem could see through her like a Seer. We'd better be careful with what we say around her."

"Seconded," Ren added. "Nora?"

Nora didn't respond. Her gaze remained fixated on Grimm Ruby to the point that it was more uncomfortable than those around it. After about ten seconds of awkward silence, her expression changed into a teeth-baring grin.

"Oooh! I know!" Nora exclaimed. "I'm going to ask you one question: something only the _reaaal_ Ruby could answer!"

"Nora, we know who the real one is," Ren said. His common sense did nothing to stop her.

"_Wheeeeen_," Nora said dramatically, then lowered her pitch to a normal tone. "is my birthday?"

"Uh," Grimm Ruby said with a pause, scratching the back of its head. Something was wrong. Even though it knew full well that it shared the original Ruby's memories, it couldn't answer the question. It's mind was blank. After another ten seconds of silence, Nora's face turned into a grimace.

"That's what I thought. Totally fake," she said with her eyes narrowed, then glanced at Ruby. "Ruby, tell everyone my birthday."

"Uh," Ruby said with a pause, scratching the back of her head. After another five seconds of silence, Nora's mouth went agape.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "You _both_ don't know my birthday?"

"Uhhhh," both Rubies said, scratching the backs of their heads and looking at each other. At least that explained to Grimm Ruby why it didn't know. Apparently, neither did she. The two spoke in a way that it was impossible to tell which one said what. "I kinda." "Piggybacked." "Off Ren." "Lots of stress." "Birthdays." "Letting everyone down." "Mine's on Halloween." "Easy to remember." "Awkward."

Everybody gave the Rubies a blank stare. Grimm Ruby had been getting used to these reactions, but this was now embarrassing for them both.

"That's so freaky," Yang said in amazement. "She's even doing that mumbling thing Ruby does when she's embarrassed."

"They really _are_ the same," Blake said in quiet awe. "I'm…not sure what to think. I know she's Grimm, but…can we really just kill her? It doesn't seem like the right thing."

"I suppose we do owe her our gratitude," Weiss admitted. "Ruby?"

"Yeah, Weiss?" both Rubies asked simultaneously, then glanced at each other.

"_Human_ Ruby?" Weiss clarified in a deadpan tone. "You…left your scythe behind."

Ruby's face beamed. She'd went too long without her precious Crescent Rose.

"We brought it back with us," Yang said, her eyes drifting toward the floor in sadness. "We thought…we thought we'd lost you."

When Yang gestured toward the other room with her finger, Ruby burst in that direction with her Semblance. One of the rose petals left behind drifted toward Grimm Ruby's arm and decayed into a withered stem on contact.

"Rub…uh, _Grimm_…Ruby?" Jaune asked with a hint of nervousness. "The petal…it—"

The question was interrupted by Ruby's blissful squeal, followed by a dash back to the previous room. Her silver eyes sparkled with joy, for she was finally reunited with her precious scythe.

"Awww _yeeeah_!" she yelled. "Ruby's back!"

Grimm Ruby couldn't help but let out an inhuman, yet innocent squeal. Both Rubies extended their respective scythes simultaneously as a means of celebration.

"My precious sweetheart!" Ruby yelled, squeezing her scythe like a mother would cradle her lost baby. "I'll never ever leave you again!"

"You have a scythe, too?" Yang asked Grimm Ruby.

"Yeah, I made it," it said, observing its own scythe. "Actually, I based it off what I remembered from Crescent Rose. Now that I look at it, they're a little different."

"They're _very_ different," Weiss said, observing the scythe. "Yours is black, with a red blade. What's that? An eyeball?"

Her hand slowly came closer. Before she could touch it, the Grimm scythe's eye blinked and stared at Weiss, pulsing like a human heart.

"What?" she flinched.

"Don't touch it!" Grimm Ruby yelled, clamping its claw over the eye and wrenching its scythe away. "It's dangerous!"

"What do you mean 'dangerous?'" Weiss asked, suspicious once more.

"I…I'm sorry," Grimm Ruby said, quickly coiling its scythe back over its arm. "I saw Crescent Rose and just got carried away. I shouldn't have even taken it out!"

"It…" Ruby explained, instinctively clutching her arm. "It could burn someone. She has to be careful."

Yang squinted at the sight of her sister squeezing her arm and took a closer look. She saw the wrappings underneath her long sleeved blouse.

"Is that a bandage?" she asked, gently moving her hand.

"Ah! Uh…" Ruby mumbled nervously. "It's a…a…"

"Ruby, did you get yourself hurt?" Yang asked curiously. Ruby noted her reaction; it wasn't as fearful as she had thought it would be. The reaction made sense, though. Even when she was missing, the world didn't suddenly stop. She was still a Huntress, and there were still Grimm.

"Uh, yeah. Heh. It came from, uh… from the Grimm. We were fighting Grimm," Ruby said, looking in the eyes of her Grimm self. "Weren't we?"

Grimm Ruby glanced away, unable to look anyone in the eye out of guilt. Ruby revealed the bandage underneath her blouse, then slowly unwrapped it to reveal the stitched wound.

"We were actually lost for a while until one of the Atlas pilots showed up," Ruby explained. "We made a stop to Argus on the way here. They were able to sew my arm up."

"This wound doesn't seem life-threatening," Ren noted. "Why didn't you use your Aura?"

"Uh…funny thing about that," Ruby tried to explain, only to stop when Jaune touched her wound. Her whole body twitched as she seethed in pain.

"Try to stay still," Jaune said with a smile. His hands glowed white from the use of his Semblance: Aura Amplification. Ruby knew from word of mouth that his Semblance saved Weiss from an otherwise fatal wound, so something so seemingly meager as an already stitched wound should have been trivial…except her wound wasn't healing.

"Jaune? Aren't you gonna heal her?" Nora asked.

"I am," Jaune said. "See my hands? They…wait, what's going on?"

Both Rubies looked away at the same time. They knew the truth.

"My Semblance," Jaune muttered much more apprehensively. "It's not working."

"Well, maybe it just needs a minute 'cuz you're sleepy," Yang suggested. Jaune nodded hopefully, which caused Grimm Ruby to clench its claws with a pained expression on its face. After a very slow and painful fifteen seconds of listening to Ruby's pained whimpers, it couldn't take any more.

"Jaune, it's not going to heal," Grimm Ruby said, finally looking at his face. He looked at Grimm Ruby in confusion as his hands lost their white glow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaune asked with an accusatory tone.

"Exactly what it sounds like," Grimm Ruby admitted with quiet remorse. "That burn is never going to heal. Aura doesn't work on it."

"Hang on," Jaune said, blinking. "What?"

"Aura doesn't work against me in any way," Grimm Ruby explained, looking at its claws. "Not my eyes, not my scythe, not these _things_, nothing."

"_You did that to her?_" Yang snapped. Her joy and friendliness went away just like that. The anger of a protective older sister was powerful enough to stand out among the unease of everyone else.

"It was an accident," Grimm Ruby said. Its posture was one of slacked shoulders and a soft gaze, like a repentant criminal admitting their crime. "We were fighting Grimm for the first time and I handed her my scythe. I was able to tear off some body parts of Grimm and attune it to me. That's how I made it. Anyway, this…tear came out of its eye. Just one drop touched her arm and…I'm so sorry."

"Gruby—" Ruby tried to speak.

"Did she just say she tore off pieces of Grimm?" Nora whispered nervously.

"That's probably an exaggeration," Ren whispered back. "Grimm don't leave corpses behind."

"If your scythe's so dangerous, why don't you just get rid of it?" Yang asked, still visibly angry.

"Remember when I…er, Ruby told you that weapons are an extension of ourselves?" Grimm Ruby asked.

"That was years ago," Yang said, crossing her arms. Her Ember Celica gauntlet came into view.

"Well…" Grimm Ruby said, slowly uncoiling its scythe again. Anyone close to it backed away a step out of a quiet trepidation. Grimm Ruby lightly tossed its scythe across the room, making sure its trajectory was slow enough to avoid igniting the air and away from anyone else. Once it struck the floor seconds later, the scythe's trajectory quickly reversed and flew at Grimm Ruby; so quickly, in fact, that the air around the scythe did ignite, though only briefly. The scythe struck Grimm Ruby's arm, coating it in that dark flame, but it didn't bother it. It simply stood with a solemn expression until the flames went out. With a flick of the wrist, the scythe coiled around Grimm Ruby's arm once more.

"It really is a part of you," Yang said calmly, but with little remorse for her outburst.

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby said with quiet fear. "Literally. It's powered by that destructive hate deep inside me. And it's not just what's inside me that's scary. My hands can tear things apart. My teeth can bite into things. My head; it's like a cactus made of titanium. Every inch of me is so dangerous. I'm always one careless moment away from stabbing somebody if I try to shake their hand or breaking somebody's foot if I step on it."

"Just one question," Blake inquired. "In a hypothetical scenario where we faced you in a real fight, how would we shield ourselves from your attacks?"

"I don't think you could," Grimm Ruby shook its head. "I wouldn't try it. My hands once dug into the metal of an Atlesian ship, so I don't think armor or shields would work very much either. I…I'm actually really scared of what might have happened…if I didn't have Ruby's soul copied in me. If…if I ever lost control…if I was just another Grimm, I don't think _anyone_ could stop me…except…"

Grimm Ruby paused and looked its human self with a sadness that invoked an animal that silently begged its owner to put it out if its misery. In turn, Ruby looked at her Grimm self with conflicted emotions. Part of her was sad to see the truth come out with no build-up whatsoever. Grimm Ruby's resigned admittance to it all didn't help. Just one observant moment from Yang and out it came…all of it. Another part was glad that it was brave enough to tell them the truth. It was just like how it told her Salem built it straight away. Nothing like the secrecy from Ozpin and Ironwood that ultimately tore their respective factions apart.

"So you inexplicably start fires, restore yourself when something's hurt, Grimm are drawn to you, _and_ anything you do to hurt someone is completely exempt from the protection of Aura?" Weiss said in an exasperated tone; a far cry from that deadpan tone from a moment ago. "What _else_ do we need to watch out for? Red beams of light from your eyes that kill people with a glance?"

"You know you're exaggerating," Blake countered with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, well," Weiss said, muffling a laugh. "If you haven't noticed, this Ruby's like a walking natural disaster as it is."

Grimm Ruby was left speechless by Weiss' sudden (and correct) accusation. With its mouth agape, it could only respond in a pitiful bestial whine.

"Don't tell me," Weiss whispered in horror. "You actually _can_ do that?"

"Weiss—" Ruby tried to speak.

"She just said she was one careless moment away from hurting someone!" Weiss exclaimed. "Ruby, what happens if we fight together and she ends up using her eyes at the wrong time?"

"Well, she just won't use it," Ruby answered. "It doesn't work on the Grimm anyway."

"But she just said a little bit of her power leaked out of her scythe and did that to your arm," Weiss argued. "What if a _lot_ of power suddenly leaked out of her eyes?"

"Uh…" Ruby mumbled.

"What if we're in front of her when it happens?" Blake added.

"Uh…"

"What if someone _dies_ because of this thing?" Yang exclaimed.

Time seemed to stop for Grimm Ruby the moment it heard that. Thing…that was what Yang called it. The emotions deep in its subconscious were indescribable. The sheer heartbreak was knowable, but the very situation it was in was so alien that it couldn't fully comprehend it. All of Ruby's memories thought of Yang as a caring and supportive sister that loved her unconditionally. Even seeing her hide her fear behind her anger like that was something it never imagined. Just a moment ago, there was this hope over what the future held. This, too, must be part of the curse of being meant for destruction and bearing a different wish in its heart.

Meanwhile, Ruby wanted to argue; to assure everyone that things would be okay, but the aching burn on her arm was constant proof that accidents could happen. She didn't want to lie or give half-truths to her team. That's something Ozpin did. Ultimately, there was no right choice to make. In the end, she wasn't even the one who made the choice.

"I should go," Grimm Ruby muttered, slowly turning away. Its eyes caught Ruby's sad face. Her guilt was so obvious, even without the ability to sense negativity. At the very least, it could do one thing to put her at ease.

"It's been a long night for you, Ruby," it told her. "You probably need to sleep. I guess…everybody's still tired. You were sleeping before we came in, right? You…you can go back to sleep now. I can take it from here."

The collective mood of the people around Grimm Ruby shifted a bit. Most of the anger faded into guilt, but the fear was still palpable. Their faces, especially Yang's, matched that guilt, but nobody made an attempt to communicate.

"Maybe…I can do something to help…" Grimm Ruby said with sorrow as its foot went out the door. "Outside."


	18. The Single Quality

To say that Mantle was a withered cesspool of its former self was an understatement. That much was substantial by itself, considering that the city's living conditions were already incredibly poor since the last time Ruby was here. At least, that was what her Grimm self could recall. Mantle was never that well off compared to Atlas, due to Ironwood's Dust embargo among other things. It was still a city, however, and one that focused heavily on industrial development and mining. There were establishments, working pieces of security technology, and of course, people. All of the components of a communion existed in Mantle, despite its setbacks. Emphasis on "existed."

Now, barely a soul remained in the broken remnants of this city. Wandering the fractured streets alone, Grimm Ruby would occasionally cross paths with a distressed soul lamenting how poorly their lives have ended up or a traffic light that flickered in a futile attempt to remain functional. Members of the former barely acknowledged Grimm Ruby's presence, let alone the fact that a Grimm was even walking amongst them. Perhaps they simply didn't care, as they were too busy wallowing in their own problems. Either way, their heartbreak was so pervasive to Grimm Ruby that it could sense each individual person from at least half a mile away.

During this aimless walk, the sentient Grimm came across another traffic light from the sidewalk. Strangely, this one functioned perfectly and didn't seem to share the structural problem of the rest of the city. As it nearly crossed the street, the yellow "hand" light beamed on; a signal telling anyone travelling on foot to stop and let motorized traffic through.

Grimm Ruby looked across both sides of the street. Not a single automotive of any kind obstructed its path; at least, there weren't any moving ones along the street. Perhaps it was out of respect for the laws of the city that once was or the desire to act like the human it could only remember being from Ruby's memories; either way, Grimm Ruby waited patiently for the traffic lights to change before crossing the street.

It wasn't in any hurry to go anywhere. It didn't even have a destination. It was just…outside. That was the appropriate term. That's what Grimm Ruby was; an outsider, feared by most and trusted by few. Depressing as this may be, it already braced itself for a hopeless existence from the moment it freed Ruby from Salem's clutches. Even an ignoble end could have been possible. The whole reason it even traveled with her was because doing otherwise could have doomed the young Huntress to a painful death, alone and unmourned in the bitter cold, with only her friends and family hoping in vain for her return. Grimm Ruby couldn't allow such a thing, and now that the terrible tragedy had been prevented, it was no longer obligated to stay by her.

Grimm Ruby stood by its choice, even after the way her friends feared it. It didn't blame them. It couldn't; not for their reactions, not for its existence, not for anything. As a cruel grimace slowly crept across its face, it knew who was truly to blame. Looking into its own reflection from the pieces of a nearby shattered window, it saw those terrifying red eyes and thought of her. The one who created it to be a weapon, the one who forced it to contend with so much negativity, both on the outside and from within: Salem.

Before Ruby's abduction from Atlas, both it and Mantle were under siege by Salem's forces, including her inner circle and a veritable army of Grimm. As devastating as the end result was in Mantle, it was bound to be much worse in Atlas. After all, it took the combined might of the Atlesian military, the new Winter Maiden, and Ruby's group just to even hold her off for as long as they did, but it was ultimately futile. Both Relics were lost, and of course, Ruby was also abducted. Considering how quiet things are now, Grimm Ruby wondered what could have stopped the invasion.

The Grimm never showed mercy. Even if Salem had gotten everything she wanted, she would certainly have just left Atlas and Mantle at the mercy of the Grimm. They would have ended up like Aisufurawa, yet Grimm Ruby couldn't sense a single one among all the negativity. It's only been a few days, and based off of Ruby's memories, the swarm of Grimm was absolutely enormous. Even if there were still survivors fighting back, including the rest of Ruby's group, there should be more Grimm. It was too quiet.

Once the traffic light gave Grimm Ruby the signal to cross the street, it did so, looking both ways. Of course, there weren't any automotives to worry about. It was still just about pretending to be human. One notable boon to Grimm Ruby's unique physical condition, however, was a tolerance to the cold. It could have been a byproduct of the effort Salem put in to make Grimm Ruby an unstoppable killing machine or a simple trait that all Grimm possess over the humans and Faunus they constantly war against, but the cold simply didn't bother it.

The same couldn't be said for the people of Mantle, however. In fact, the bitter cold was really the most damning thing for those that did their best to survive, as opposed to the destruction and negativity, as one would expect. Mantle used to have a heating grid that kept its inhabitants warm in the frigid temperatures, but it was disabled from an act of treachery that one of Salem's followers orchestrated. Upon witnessing a group of survivors gathered near a pile of wooden debris trying in vain to light it with their stones, their damaged appliances, and even a few flame Dust crystals, an idea sparked in its mind.

The flames that followed Grimm Ruby's every swift movement and burned those that were unfortunate to come in contact were a source of great shame for it. Potent enough to leave everlasting burns and rendering any attempt to shield a person's skin with Aura useless, it was an extremely dangerous thing to possess…but it didn't necessarily have to be a terrible thing. It was just like the moment when it started a small campfire with its flames when it and Ruby first officially met.

Those that were huddled together by the debris, desperate for relief from the bitter cold, paid no attention to Grimm Ruby as it approached. They gave no reaction, even as its claws surged with dark flames. Clamping down upon the debris with both claws, its face contorted into vicious hatred as its red eyes glowed dimly. The people began to turn their attention to the sentient Grimm among them. It sensed their fright immediately; a feeling that only magnified as a long bestial growl left its lips. The people slowly backed away from it, and by extension, the pile of debris. The dark flames spread quickly across the debris. The snow melted, the wood withered, the metal sizzled, and even the stones turned black. All that touched the flames of destruction burned indiscriminately.

The sheer scale of the dark flames left the surrounding people in a state of both fear and awe. Their faces were difficult to see in the night sky, as the flames didn't illuminate its surroundings very well. Their awe-filled voices, though fleeting, were very lucid. They grew more amazed and less fearful with each passing second as the flames evolved into a huge bonfire; furious and unrelenting, yet contained within the spot Grimm Ruby willed it. These flames were a representation of the destructive urges it constantly keeps in check, deep beneath its personality. With a moment to calm itself and close its eyes, it relinquished the debris and stepped back.

"Be careful not to touch the flames," Grimm Ruby said with a quiet kindness contrasting that display of burning rage. "They're…not normal."

And with that, Grimm Ruby walked away. It wouldn't stay to see the faces of those it saved from freezing to death. After Ruby's burn and the terror her friends felt when they found out, too many things could go wrong if it huddled around desperate strangers. That goes double from the simple fact that its entire body was still covered in those very flames; huddling around someone right now was bound to kill them. Even as the people watched it leave patches of scorched ground and melted snow with each step, wondering about their mysterious bringer of much-needed heat, it would let them draw their own conclusions.

Grimm Ruby went back to wondering aimlessly in the cold night, waiting until the flames covering its body went out. It didn't take long, being separate from any debris to keep it alight, and when it did go out, Grimm Ruby didn't acknowledge it for even a moment. This was its normal. All of this was normal. The more it tried to act human, the more ridiculous it all felt. It wasn't human. It could never be human. It would always be Grimm, and it hated that fact with every ounce of its being. It always knew that deep down, but after the events of the past few days, it wondered if there was even a reason to pretend to be human.

On its path, Grimm Ruby discovered another traffic light. Once again, there was no traffic. Once again, the traffic light signaled all passersby to stop and wait. And once again, it did so. Its continued attempts to pretend baffled even itself, but it didn't know how else to act. It couldn't behave like a typical Grimm, running around murdering random people, and there were very few people it could interact with without causing fear or distress. It was lost, both in purpose and in location.

It considered going retracing its steps and going back. There didn't seem to be anything to do out here. That, too, was contrary to what the rest of Ruby's team was doing here. That left the big question: if they weren't fighting Grimm or Salem, what are they doing here? The obvious thing to do would be to move on, head to Shade Academy, and protect the Relic of Destruction. That left another big question: what would happen to the people here, without a government or academy to defend them? Putting the two questions together, it's obvious what was going on.

With nothing left to defend the survivors of Mantle, Ruby's group had to do it themselves. Even if there weren't any Grimm now, the sheer misery of this place could attract more of them anywhere in the city, at any time. It would know. It could sense their misery right now. Glancing back from where it came from, it noticed the smoldering footsteps it left behind. At that moment, a dazzling light shined in its eyes from above. Shielding them from the glare, it could barely make out the Atlesian ship above it. At first, it didn't understand what was going on. It was clearly being tailed, but the purpose was unclear…until it noticed the footsteps and put the pieces together. It just started a huge bonfire mere minutes ago. The pilot of that ship must have noticed such a thing from the sky. That would make more sense than "kill the Grimm on sight." From a distance, it resembled a normal human enough to inconspicuously pass off as one.

As the ship descended closer, Grimm Ruby wondered what the pilot would do if they saw it. If they were affiliated with Maria in any way, it may be possible to just explain what happened. If they were a remnant of Atlas' old military, they may try to arrest it for arson. If it was someone else entirely, there was that lingering concern about what would happen if they realized they were about to confront a Grimm. Regardless, Grimm Ruby showed no outward hostility, but internally steeled itself for the worst.

What it saw, however, was someone it could never have prepared for. Gazing from the interior of the ship was a young boy with tan skin and a faint blush and freckles on his cheeks. He wore a battered olive coat with a red belt and shoulder pads. Underneath the coat, he wore a white collared shirt with bandages around his neck. He also wore black trousers and red boots. Completing this ensemble was a long cane that doubled as a walking stick in his left hand, with small gold-colored gears at the bottom of the handle. When Grimm Ruby got a better look at the boy's black hair and hazel eyes, it stood slack jawed in awe to such an extent that it couldn't register anything else around it.

"Maria, I found the—" the boy said into his Scroll in his left hand, stopping when the light from the ship shined on Grimm Ruby, giving him a clear view of it. "Is that…Ruby?"

"I…I know you," Grimm Ruby said with heartfelt emotion. "Oscar."

It had already had enough of an understanding from the original Ruby's memories and personality to comprehend things beyond destruction and death, but this was something…more. It couldn't quite pinpoint just what feelings surfaced in its black heart when it saw this boy, but there was something about him that filled the original Ruby with such fulfillment and warmth. It was the kind of feeling that made it want to smile and laugh when it looked deep in his eyes.

"Ruby?" Oscar asked. Unlike Grimm Ruby, his face was one of fear and confusion.

Another voice came from his scroll, but the words were inaudible from the ground.

"No! I…I think it's Ruby!" Oscar exclaimed, then left Grimm Ruby's view. He must be the one piloting that ship. That would explain why its altitude lowered immediately afterward. There was more chatter from his Scroll it couldn't decipher from the ground. Once the ship came close enough to the ground, it saw him peek out from the side.

"Ruby! I…" Oscar said cheerfully at first, but grew nervous after hearing Grimm Ruby's distorted voice. "I…you're…not Ruby? Are you—"

"Not quite," Grimm Ruby said. "But…she's okay now. I brought her back here. We're actually, uh…separate people…kinda."

"Ruby's okay?" Oscar asked. A single tear came down from his eye before he collected himself. "I thought, I mean, you…know Ruby?"

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby said. "And she's back at that pharmacy. It's kinda dark out, so she's probably sleeping."

"You have…red eyes," Oscar said with a pause.

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby said, turning its gaze away. "Listen, I'm not sure what I can do to help out here, but there's a lot of people out there freezing without the heating grid. I started this huge fire to keep them warm, but it won't last forever, so maybe we can—"

In a split second, it sensed a dreadful horror come from Oscar. Before it had a chance to respond to this, his eyes briefly flashed gold.

"Oscar?"

"Oh no," an older man's voice came from Oscar lips. "Gods, no."

"Oscar, are you…no, you're not Oscar," Grimm Ruby said with an uncomfortable glare. The original Ruby's memories had information about this phenomenon. Oscar is the latest in a long line of reincarnations of the ancient warrior Ozma. The last incarnation was the professor of the fallen Beacon Academy, Ozpin. His, and the accumulation of every past incarnation, resided within Oscar.

"After all these years," he whispered, "she's finally done it."

"Are you Ozpin?" Grimm Ruby asked innocently. Oscar, or to be more accurate, Ozpin took a step back. He unsheathed his cane and gripped it with both hands. He was visibly terrified, but looked ready to fight…if only for a moment. His arms quivered and his body slacked.

"Ozpin…what are you—" Oscar said to "himself." His voice turned into Ozpin's again. "Listen to me. Salem has done the impossible. That Grimm is more dangerous than any Maiden or warrior alive!"

"That's a Grimm?" Oscar exclaimed. "Do…do we fight?"

"Oscar, wait," Grimm Ruby begged, reaching its claw out. "I just—"

"No, _run!_ You can't face that thing! _No living man or creature can!_"

Oscar left Grimm Ruby's view, back to the cockpit. The distance between the ship and the ground was still too high to climb normally, and climbing one of the nearby buildings to make a running leap runs the risk of setting the ship ablaze. With no safer alternatives, it let him leave. Even as the ship drifted away, Ozpin's fear was so pervasive that it blotted out the sorrow of everyone else. Grimm Ruby knew it was Ozpin, not Oscar. It was the fear of an immortal being's final end; the kind that no boy could comprehend.

"Does Ozpin…know about me?" it muttered. "But how?"

His actions were strange, even considering the secrets he kept in the past. Based off Ruby's memories, Ozpin was a man that tried to inspire others to overcome their fears, despite his mistakes and weaknesses. Seeing him, or rather, the boy his soul currently inhabits do everything he can to stay away from it, and without so much as a single missile or bullet fired, went against what he stood for. This wasn't like the fear everybody in the pharmacy showed after they found out about Ruby's burn. Oscar, and by extension, Ozpin wasn't present during that situation, and it didn't seem like either of them heard about it. There was more to the story, but Grimm Ruby didn't feel like it had a right to pry. Not now, not when there's so much to deal with.

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Grimm Ruby muttered somberly. "I'll just, uh, help somewhere else."

It glanced at the traffic light, noticing the signal to let traffic through. It just missed its chance to walk.

_The single quality that is common across every living creature on this planet, is fear; it's funny then that as common as fear is, we so easily underestimate its power._


	19. Defilement

**Warning: Some of the content in this chapter is unspeakably disturbing, even for RWBY Nightmare Fuel standards. Those that read it may likely find themselves unable to forget the contents of this chapter, no matter how much they want to. Reader discretion is advised.**

Soaring in the skies above what was left of Mantle, Oscar was left alone with his thoughts…and Ozpin's. Even having essentially shared a single mind with him for over a year, there were still many memories that Ozpin refused to share for one reason or another. He would always show up when Oscar truly needed it, but otherwise lock himself away in the deepest recesses of his mind. Oscar thought they could put these mistakes behind them after Ironwood shot him down that deep pit from the chamber that held the Relic of Creation. Ozpin had reemerged as he fell and helped him unlock the dormant magical abilities that ultimately saved him from certain death. Or rather, Ozpin showed him how to save himself.

That was supposed to be the end of the secrets, once and for all. Even after Salem's attack, even after Atlas' fall, even after Ruby's disappearance, Ozpin's counsel helped to fill the hole her absence left for the past few days. And now, someone with a striking resemblance to Ruby shows up, only for Ozpin to all but take over his body and demand he flee for his life.

"Ozpin," Oscar said, staring angrily across the night sky as he flew the airship. "Explain yourself…now."

No response.

"_Ozpin!_"

"I suppose I must, though…even I never could have predicted this."

"What happened to Ruby?" Oscar exclaimed. "Why does that Grimm look just like her?"

"Salem is responsible, as you might have guessed," Ozpin said, "but this goes far beyond the usual misdeeds she's committed. The creature we saw is more than a mere Grimm. It's a weapon; a final weapon…against me."

"And I'm another one of your lives, right?" Oscar asked. "Is it going to kill me?"

"Worse," Ozpin said forebodingly. "There can be peace in death. There is an afterlife. I know this better than any man, woman, and child on this planet save Salem herself. But that knowledge is what makes that particular Grimm all the more terrifying."

"Why are you—" Oscar asked incredulously. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Imagine if there was nothing after life," Ozpin said. "Imagine that if one were to die, their story would simply end. Now imagine how dangerous that prospect is to one that's forced to reincarnate by the will of the gods themselves. Imagine…if we didn't come back from death."

"Are you saying," Oscar asked with a quiet horror, "that the Grimm we just saw—"

"It poses that threat." Ozpin said, resigned. "It is a horrific being that can destroy a soul. With such a Grimm under Salem's thrall, even the endless cycle of reincarnation that the God of Light branded upon me will be of no protection. Oscar, whatever you do, you must avoid that particular Grimm at all costs. If you should die by that vile creature, we will never have another chance. This world, and the people the God of Light tasked me to redeem, will be doomed."

"How?"

"Oscar, I—"

"_How could you keep something like that a secret?_" Oscar exclaimed. "How…after everything that happened, can you still hide things from us?"

No response.

"And how could you even know something like that? If you truly knew what kind of Grimm Salem could send after us, why didn't you at least prepare for it? Unless…could you have prepared for it?"

"That…is a long story," Ozpin said. "One that I hoped never to revisit again. However, I suppose you are owed an explanation. It was…so long ago, when we ruled together as the gods of this world."

"You mean…when you and Salem were—"

"Yes," Ozpin said with an unusual tension. "When we ruled a prosperous kingdom, when we had four beautiful daughters, and when we had, what Salem referred to as…freedom."

The surroundings in Oscar's mind turned completely white. Two figures appeared, formed out of smoke. One was a man with tanned skin and platinum blonde hair wearing a blue-green tunic, a tan undershirt, a blue cape, black trousers, and brown boots. The other was a woman whose skin is a deathly gray, with jet black sclera in her red eyes, a short-sleeved black robe, and a curved high collar with a dark red trim.

The two stood together, hands clasped, with four small girls wearing dresses reminiscent of the four seasons standing around them. One wore blue with ice crystal-like details, which represented Winter. Another wore yellow with a sun depicted on it, which represented Summer. One wore green with a leaf-like pattern, which represented Spring. And one wore orange with the upper parts in brown, which represented Fall.

"Back then, the thought of completing the task the God of Light left me with," Ozpin said, "remained quietly on the back of my mind. I would occasionally think of it when alone and idle, but those moments were few and far between."

The figures faded into a thick smoke that quickly reformed into depictions of people wearing tattered and dull clothing; far different from the colorful and unique designs of today. Most of them were in humbling positions, bowing and praying.

"As I grew to appreciate the kingdom and the family I had, I grew less concerned with the Gods' decree, and more concerned with the well-being of those we ruled over. In a sense, Salem did deliver on her promise…that we may be the gods of the new world. The more I grew accustomed to my role as a savior and protector of the new mankind, the more they, in turn, grew to depend upon us."

More figures in dull clothing appeared. Their numbers grew faster than Oscar could count.

"As their numbers swelled into the hundreds, our little sect became a faction in its own right. And when hundreds became thousands, our faction became what would be known as the true faith. In time, there were more believers than not throughout the world. When such a great number looked to us for guidance and protection, the task of actually doing so became inconceivable. For even when our powers surpassed all others and our souls transcended death, we were only two."

The entire background changed into the interior of a castle. The woman with the pale skin stared intently into a red orb while the man stared outside the ornate windows at the mountains. Oscar recognized it; this played out like one of the scenes that Jinn showed everyone.

"_We've stretched ourselves too thin,_" Ozma said. "_We solve one dispute and two more follow. Even we can't solve all hardships in the world._"

"_Can't we?_" Salem replied with a knowing smirk.

"_You've seen it with your own eyes,_" Ozma said, looking at his queen. "_However faithfully the people look to us, they do not share that faith with their neighbors. Their praises are endless when we're present only to squabble amongst themselves when we're not. How can Humanity be truly united when they love only us?_"

"_Because we have yet to give them the proper motivation,_" Salem said, approaching her king. "_All they need is to hear the words of those acting for us._"

"_Emissaries? Is that all? What stops the people from lashing out at them? If they could turn on each other, then—_"

"_Ozma," _Salem said, caressing his cheek lovingly. _"Do you think me foolish enough to act without considering the risks involved?"_

"_I…_"

"_Of course they would,_" Salem said with a quiet mirth. "_It has ever been the nature of humanity to demand more. To never be satisfied with what they have. Or didn't you realize by now?_"

"_What are you insinua—_" Ozma asked, only to be silenced by Salem's finger over his lips.

"_One does not live beyond death without learning about the hearts of men. Tonight…after our girls are in bed, you know the place._"

"At the time, I didn't understand what Salem meant, but that hadn't surprised me. I wasn't the only immortal with secrets, after all. Holding her cards to her chest until the perfect moment to play them was something she did for years. We both did, really; it was a game we played together, and I could usually get a good read on her next move. But even after all of our years in the world, both together and apart, I could never have anticipated what she would show me that night."

The entire background changed into a massive courtyard, with flowers and trees of all seasons growing from the bushes. A luxurious square fountain was in the center of this courtyard, with statues on each of the four corners that depicted each of the four girls that wore different colored robes. Only a single black cauldron with bubbling black liquid marred this otherwise flawless paradise; its asymmetrical position closest to the maple tree suggested that it didn't even belong there.

Ozma and Salem remained in the scene; their affectionate display remained the one constant during the transition. The night sky shined down upon the two, fractured moon and all. It was almost enough to make Oscar forget that the two are now eternal enemies. Almost.

"You know by now that many different Grimm inhabit the various areas throughout Remnant," Ozpin said. "Most forms of Grimm were created by the God of Darkness in direct opposition to his brother's creations of life, but there were some that only plagued the world after the gods abandoned it."

"_Ozma?_" Salem asked. "_Have you ever considered the usefulness of others? To turn what should be a curse into a gift?_"

"_I am…hesitant to answer,_" Ozma said. The reflection of his eyes never left the black pool.

"_You shouldn't be,_" Salem said with a wry smile. With a flick of the arms, she stretched them both outward in a pose that evoked the coming of something both terrifying and breathtaking. Black liquid oozed from the bubbling cauldron, coming into contact with the grass and causing it to wither.

The center of the cauldron swelled from below in a pattern of two thumps per second, like a human heartbeat. A single bubble larger than the other rose from the center of the pool, containing something beating within its clear form. Though it moved at the same pace that the thumping did, what Ozma saw that day looked nothing like a heart. It was tiny and vaguely human-shaped, with small beads on its bulbous skull where its eyes should be. Its fingers and toes were undeveloped and bound together, while its back curled inward to reveal the contours of its spine. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't a beating heart.

"_Gods,_" Ozma muttered. His very legs were rooted to the grass and his eyes remained fixated on the repulsive ritual before him. The liquid that oozed out of the cauldron converged back into itself, slowly covering the tiny human-like entity. With time to only let out a single weak cry, it was completely engulfed. The bubbling grew wilder, magnified by the agony of the entity. Small cracks formed across the cauldron, barely able to contain whatever lurked within for much longer.

"I knew in my heart that something was wrong, but in that moment," Ozpin's voice trembled, "I-I had to see with my own eyes."

With an explosive force, the cauldron shattered from the inside out. Copper fragments struck Ozma's face, causing him to flinch. A foul black mist coursed through the air where the cauldron stood, shrouding whatever was lurking beneath it. Only a pair of glowing red eyes emerged from the mist.

"_Is that…a Creature of Grimm?_" Ozma asked, perplexed.

"_It is more than more than any Grimm you have ever seen,_" Salem said with the pride that a mother would give her child. "_You now bear witness to the first of my Harbingers. More than anything the old gods could ever have realized; a perfect soldier, and one of many. It is the extension of our will. Where we shall strike, they shall be our sword. Where we shall preserve, they shall be our shield._"

The mist cleared, revealing a single humanoid Grimm. It stood taller than either Ozma or Salem, at roughly seven feet. Its distinctive features included long jagged teeth from a protruding jaw, arms that were both bulky and sleek, claws that were both jagged and sharp, wide legs that accommodated its size, and a muscular chest that matched the contours of its wide ribcage.

"_And where we shall speak, they shall be our voice,"_ Salem said, waving her fingers over the Harbinger's mouth. Its jaw opened all the way to a ninety degree angle, revealing small vocal cords deep in its black throat. She glanced back at Ozma's uncertain face. "_You're free to speak your mind._"

"_Forgive my lack of understanding,"_ Ozma said, unconvinced, "_but you already command many Creatures of the Grimm; enough to be an army in its own right. Why exactly is this particular one—_"

"_The means to unite humanity?_" Salem asked. "_Consider its humanoid body. When one looks upon a beast, they act in fear of its savagery. But…if they see a man, or something like a man, they would be more at ease._"

"_Or unease from its uncanny resemblance to humanity._"

"_Ozma,_" Salem smirked. "_Take up arms._"

"_W-what?_"

"_You're no stranger to combat,_" Salem said, handing Ozma a long sword. It looked just like the one he used to save someone else in the midst of a Grimm attack when he'd first incarnated into another form. "_If our new Harbingers are equally fallible, you should have no trouble in slaying it._"

"_Are you certain about this?_" Ozma asked, confused.

"_I thought you were Ozma, the greatest warrior alive,_" Salem said in a teasing tone. "_Did life as a god make you soft?_"

Ozma let out a condescending laugh. He knew what she was doing, that she knew what to say to get him to do what she wanted. He took it in good humor, however. The two shared a glance, and then a moment of mirth. Taking up the sword, Ozma stood in a readied pose, facing his adversary. The Harbinger stood completely stiff, unfazed by Ozma or anything else around it. With a brief yell, Ozma charged toward it, swinging the sword down on its skull…only for the Harbinger to move its right arm at lightning speed and catch the blade with one claw.

Ozma's shocked expression was in great contrast to the Harbinger's inexpressiveness. Indeed, its lack of noticeable emotion would certainly make others around it very nervous, in spite of or even because of its humanoid stature. He struggled to pry the sword free, only for the Harbinger to squeeze the very blade with nothing but its claw until it snapped. Watching with horror as the end of the blade dropped to the ground, Ozma was caught off guard when the once still Harbinger lunged at him with a quick, yet precise left claw over his throat. It lifted him off the ground, displaying no difficulty whatsoever in doing so, and looked him in the eyes. Out of desperation, Ozma aimed his fist at the Harbinger's throat and punched it as hard as he could…only to hear a ringing clang when his fist made contact.

"I don't think this warrants any words," Ozpin said, "but Salem's new Harbinger was at a echelon far greater than any Beowolf."

His knuckle bled when it crossed the Harbinger's chin, and the rest of his fist singed with pain. He coughed weakly; his body growing numb.

"_Enough,_" Salem said, holding her hand out toward the Harbinger. It obediently released Ozma, allowing him to crumple to the ground and catch his breath. She quickly went to her husband's side, caressing his sweaty hair, and eventually helping him up.

"_What…kind of…creature—_" Ozma struggled to speak.

"_Breathe,_" Salem said. "_There's nothing to fear._"

"_Grimm,_" Ozma said, catching his breath. "_You want to use the creatures of Destruction itself to quell conflict? To keep the people pacified?_"

"_Why not? Their strength surpasses any man. Their flesh turns any blade or arrow. They can persist without food, drink, or sleep. And most importantly, they're absolutely obedient. I can have more of them made just like this one. They'll make the perfect soldiers in our world._"

"_But…what if they're too strong?_" Ozma asked, his eyes never leaving the motionless Harbinger. "_What if they become a threat to the people?_"

With a smirk, Salem conjured a spark of magic from her left hand. A purple glow engulfed the Harbinger's body, twisting its limbs and body until it tore itself to pieces. Even separated, each part of it twitched uncontrollably.

"_Magic?"_ Ozma asked.

"_Which only we, as gods, may wield,_" Salem said. "_Should our new army do the impossible, we can still slay them. Well?_"

"_I…I don't know. Is it truly possible to use something so destructive as the Creatures of Grimm for good?_"

"_Just think on it. Each Harbinger used for battle means one less person risking their lives. We could keep humanity protected, safe and free from any war. We could devote our time to integrating ourselves with the people, and truly spread our world for all to hear. A perfect union of Light and Dark; that can be the standard for the world._"

"Once again," Ozpin admitted, "my heart was swayed by Salem's words. I accepted the proposal. In a matter of days, she had about forty Harbingers. In a week, she had about a hundred. As I thought, our people were nervous around them, but they did well to quell any act of hostility."

The background changed into a busy rural town, with markets and bazaars amidst crowds of people in the night sky, including Ozma. Two of Salem's Harbingers patrolled the streets, catching the eyes of any they crossed paths with. Most did little more than look away nervously, but one man wearing a thick gray robe caught Ozma's attention. His hand was beneath his sleeve; a clear indication of a hidden weapon. The man approached one of the stands; a bazaar that sold goods from imported lands. Before Ozma could react, the man drew a blade to the stand's lock; the owner sleeping oblivious to his intent. In a split second, the Harbingers reacted with vicious snarls and glanced at the thief.

"Looking back now, I didn't know how these Grimm noticed that particular individual," Ozpin said. "If I were to take an estimated guess, they must have sensed his dishonest intent in the same manner that other Grimm sense negativity."

Both Harbingers descended upon the unfortunate thief, and in seconds, one of them pinned him to the ground. With a terrifying gaze, it opened its jagged maw. The thief's agonized screams filled the air, terrifying everyone in the vicinity.

"I couldn't bear to watch," Ozpin said. "I turned away. All I knew was that the people's 'defenders' were soaked in blood and sinew by the end, and over petty theft of all things. It was clear to me that these creatures didn't have a grasp of morality. Even so, few were foolish enough to incite their wrath."

The background changed to the room in the castle. Salem stood alone, looking intently at one of her new creations from the window. In direct contrast to the impressive creature that she showed Ozma, this one was sluggish and walking with a hunched back. Two of Ozma and Salem's children sat next to the shriveled Grimm; one leaning on the other. They didn't seem to mind being near the horrific creature.

"After a couple of months, Salem noticed a strange mutation that occurred amongst the Harbingers," Ozpin said. "Once fierce and imposing, the creatures became sluggish and uncoordinated. Their very bodies had shriveled, almost like a malnourished human left to rot in a dungeon. Suffice to say, the Creatures of Grimm don't typically starve, and Salem herself made it abundantly clear that they did not require food, water, or rest. Stranger still was how those around them would also grow sluggish and weak."

"That's…an Apathy," Oscar said in quiet surprise. The background changed into a corridor of a dark dungeon. The halls were bleak as the night, with dim candles providing the only light. From said light, one could view the rotting bodies and skeletons hanging from the ceiling with hooks and chains. Salem was still present, with a Seer Grimm behind her, following her every move. Ozma peeked from around the corner, unseen by his wife or the Grimm.

"I went to confront her," Ozma said. "I needed to make her realize how badly things have gotten out of hand. At the time, we didn't have maximum security prisons or mental institutions to house the most disruptive members of society. To contain such dangerous individuals, Salem had a dungeon built in the Land of Darkness, far away from human eyes."

A human woman with shaggy brown hair and pale skin gazed from the bars of the dungeon cell that Salem stood beside. She had obviously been held captive for a long time. Her eyes quivered with fear and her arms caressed her stomach as Salem unlocked the cell.

"What I saw her do next was not meant for mortal eyes," Ozpin said with terror. "The Harbinger ritual…it required a key ingredient; one not used for other Grimm."

The Seer brandished two of its tentacles over the imprisoned woman, wrapping her arms and legs together. After a brief struggle, her limbs were bound. The woman was helpless for what was to come next. A third tentacle slithered up the woman's leg…and penetrated her. Ozma gasped in horror. His whole being shook in fear when he heard the woman's anguished screams. The Seer's tentacle ripped something out of the woman's belly. It looked human, but its features were clearly undeveloped.

"It was an unborn child," Ozpin said with great sorrow. "Salem's ritual to bring these creatures to life; they each required what is quite literally _the_ most vile act of defilement that a person could ever dream of! Everything must have went black for me shortly afterward, because when I came to, I was in our castle with Salem by my side."

The background changed into an extravagant bedroom, with Ozma lying in bed and Salem sitting next to him. Ozma slowly opened his eyes and saw her.

"At first, I was relieved," Ozpin said. "I thought what I saw was merely a horrific nightmare…until I saw her face."

"_Ozma,_" Salem said. "_Is there something you'd like to ask of me?_"

"_I…_" Ozma muttered, his head still woozy from what happened. "_Where…where am I?_"

"_Home,"_ Salem said with a smile. "_Now that you're awake, I'll get you something to drink. Any other person in your position would have died right away if they saw what you did_."

"_W-wait!_" Ozma exclaimed, pulling himself out of bed. Salem merely raised an eyebrow. "_What I…Salem, what have you done?_"

"_I found you in my dungeon,_" Salem explained in a completely casual manner. "_You passed out and I brought you home._"

"_N-no…that woman!_" Ozma exclaimed. "_You…what you did to her was—_"

"_Not here,_" Salem silence him with a finger to his mouth. "_The girls are in their rooms. Follow me._"

Without another word, Ozma followed Salem to the room where they often spoke of matters regarding their Kingdom. It was far enough away from the ears of their daughters.

"I did as she asked," Ozpin said. "A part of me wanted to believe that there was some rational explanation for what I saw that night."

"_Now, dear Ozma,_" Salem said. "_Why don't we skip the part where I ask you what you were doing in my dungeon and go over the part where these sacrifices are used for the good of our Kingdom._"

"_Sacrifices?_"

"_Did you think the Harbingers were as formidable as they were with a pool of the Brothers' Grimm and a wave of my finger?_" Salem asked. "_Of course not. These ones __needed…suffering to reinforce their bodies. Not just any suffering, but an anguish so pervasive that no amount of time could ever undo it._"

"_So you defiled our people," _Ozma shouted, "_the very people we're here to guide and protect, just to fuel your rituals!_"

"_Of course not,_" Salem said, crossing her arms. "_They were only heretics; disbelievers to our cause. I would never betray the world we've come together to create._"

"_And to what end?_" Ozma asked in an icy and hostile tone. "_Your Harbingers were failures, Salem! If you'll recall, they've decayed into those hideous shapes. Will you still have us use them as soldiers?_"

"_I…may have some use for them,_" Salem wondered aloud, _"but I see your point. I thought the same when I saw one of them just yesterday._"

"At first, I thought Salem was actually listening to reason," Ozpin said. "I thought that, even after everything, it wasn't too late to turn back."

"_When the gods left behind this second wave of humanity,_" Salem said, "_they left them without their blessings. Without magic, without guidance, and without hope. In that sense, they were limited in ways the Grimm aren't. Have you ever wondered why humans alone wither and die without proper nourishment, while the Grimm can live for centuries without such amenities? It's because they weren't created with limitations in mind. The God of Light had no part in the Grimm's conception. There was no need for an experiment. What I failed to realize was that by using human parts to fuel the Harbingers, I had inadvertently introduced such limitations to their bodies as well._"

"_Then…it's over?_" Ozma asked, hopefully. _"You won't perform such rituals any longer? Because they don't work on a fundamental level?_"

"_Let's not be hasty, Ozma,_" Salem said, smirking. "_I haven't finished. To truly perfect them, I have need of something other than a body._"

"_And what would that be?_" Ozma asked in that icy and hostile tone again. "_What more could you possibly need?_"

"_A soul,_" Salem said. "_A pure and simple one._"

"_Salem, you will do no such thing!_" Ozma exclaimed. "_If even one more person, heretic or otherwise, goes through such torture, I'll—_"

"_Just listen,_" Salem said, closing her eyes. "_The rituals I've devised are meant to protect our people not only from themselves, but from the gods. Recall that they have destroyed humanity once before. What if they returned to do so again?_"

"Oscar," Ozpin said, interrupting the conversation. "Keep in mind that I had yet to tell Salem about the promise I made to the God of Light at the time. She didn't know the conditions regarding whether or not they would destroy the world. For all she knew, the gods could just come and wipe the world out again."

"If humanity was found irredeemable," Oscar said.

"_How would your creatures hope to stop such a thing?_" Ozma asked.

"_To protect the world even from gods, we would need a weapon that even they would fear,_" Salem explained. "_One that could threaten to burn even their immortal souls. If flesh could be used to bolster a Harbinger's body, then surely a soul could make them complete._"

"_You would truly raise your sword against the gods?_"

"Once more, I should clarify," Ozpin said, interrupting the conversation again. "I didn't know of Salem's role in humanity's destruction. I didn't know at the time that she had once challenged the gods…and lost."

"_Only if they threaten our people?_" Salem said, putting her hand over her husband's shoulder, only for him to back away from her, and eventually out of her sight. "_You do wish to protect them, don't you?_"

Ozma stayed silent, contemplating the question. Meanwhile, Salem walked toward the crystal ball and looked within it. Despite the way the Harbingers pacified humanity earlier, a great conflict took place in a territory far from the castle, and far from their influence. Salem smirked at the sight.

"_Are we sure this is right?_" Ozma asked.

"_You said we needed to bring humanity together,_" Salem said, looking over to Ozma. "_In order to do that, we have to spread our word, and destroy those who will deny it.__**"**_

"I was shocked to hear those words from the woman I once called my wife," Ozpin said. "It was clear to me that she was no longer the woman I fell in love with."

"_What are we doing?_" Ozma's reflection asked him. He reeled back in horror, briefly becoming his original incarnation, before looking over to Salem.

"_This isn't what he asked of me,_" Ozma whispered.

"_What did you say?_" Salem asked.

The two then hear a door open, and their eldest daughter enters the room excitedly.

"_Mother, father, look!_" she exclaimed, conjuring multicolored wisps that flew in circles in front of her.

"And the rest…you already know," Ozpin said.

Oscar's mind returned to reality, albeit with a new appreciation for the emotional baggage Ozpin carried to this day. He didn't know if what Ozpin showed him was the full truth, or just his version of the story. There was something about it that bothered him.

"Is there…anything more you want me to say?" Ozpin asked with hesitation.

"Just one more thing," Oscar said. "If this was something that happened in your past, why didn't Jinn show us right then and there?"

"Do you recall what Miss Rose asked the Relic that fateful day? 'What is Ozpin hiding from us?' Those were her words."

"But you were hiding this."

"No," Ozpin explained. "Strictly speaking, I have never hidden this particular moment of my life from you or anyone else. As I just told you a moment ago, Salem's ambitious scheme to create the perfect soldier proved fruitless. We had our falling out before they could be realized. And if I may still be honest, for all her cunning and insidiousness, I didn't believe even she could succeed. To create true life from something as destructive as the Grimm, it would take a true god to perform such a feat; not false gods like ourselves. After she…killed me, I wasted myself in the comfort of drink, day after day, hoping to forget about Salem and that vile ritual."

"How could you possibly forget something like that?" Oscar inquired.

"After countless lifetimes, it's all too easy to forget; to make the same mistake over again. Even immortal wizards could be left in a stupor long enough to forget what year it was. Time has a way of changing what mattered. I thought this moment was well and truly behind me, but my mind eventually turned back to my promise to the God of Light. And when I saw that vile interpretation of Miss Rose standing before us, everything came flooding back to me."

"I see," Oscar said with a pause. "How can we fight it?"

"What?"

"That Grimm. How can we fight something like that?"

"We can't," Ozpin said after a brief pause.

"We can't?"

"We can't. If you so much as go near that monster, we—"

"So we just leave the whole world at its mercy? What if someone else dies? What if _their_ soul burns because of it? Is that what you want? To let others die because we did nothing?"

"I…don't have a plan," Ozpin said, "but if Miss Rose is truly alive, then—"

Before he could finish, Oscar spotted the Ruby-like Grimm in the broken streets of Mantle from the cockpit of the ship. He wasted no time in taking action.

"This is Oscar Pine, commandeering Manta 2-9," Oscar said over the radio. "Calling all Huntsmen and military remnants, a pack of at least fifty Grimm have appeared about eighty-five feet southeast of my position. They're moving fast! They've already reach the Sam and Weston and are coming closer by the second!"

He watched this Ruby-like Grimm with great trepidation. Its entire body was engulfed in dark flames as it sprinted across the ruined streets with incredible speed. The imprints upon the pavement and the rusted metal hurled into the air from the wrecked automotives below revealed that this particular Grimm wouldn't be impeded by physical obstacles. This was an incredible show of force for its meager size compared to other Grimm.

"There's one Grimm you must exercise extreme caution against," Oscar said. "It looks just like Ruby! It's heading toward the Sam and Weston where the other Grimm are and…gods, no!"

He reached his arm out in vain, fearing the worst when he witnessed the flaming Ruby-like Grimm stop on a dime when it crossed paths with fleeing civilians in one of the ruined streets. The rubble from the nearby buildings formed a blockade on the other side, preventing the civilians from escaping…until two giant elephant-like Grimm burst through it from the other side. They were Megoliaths, one of the Grimm species that invaded Mantle before Atlas' fall. The Ruby-like Grimm unwrapped a red coil around its shoulder until it extended into the form of a scythe.

"There are civilians trapped at 39th Avenue!" Oscar exclaimed. "The Ruby Grimm is right there! It's about to—"

He saw the Ruby-like Grimm glance at the terrified civilians, then give the bellowing Megoliaths a longer stare. It walked in between the Megoliaths and the civilians, glancing at the latter once more. Even as the civilians fled for their lives, the Ruby-like Grimm stood its ground in front of the Megoliaths, halting their advance with its comparatively tiny frame alone.

"—protect them?" Oscar asked in disbelief. With a quiet and hostile growl, it glared at the Megoliaths standing before it.


	20. The Language of Grimm

For as long as mankind could remember, the shadowy Creatures of Grimm have been a constant plague. Their hunger for destruction and thirst for negativity fuel one another in a great engine that would bring mankind and its creations to ruin if left unchecked. And so, even after Salem's initial invasion of Atlas, a massive wave of Megoliaths and Sabyrs stormed into what was left of Mantle. Recently however, this engine had become a double-edged sword. Grimm Ruby, the creature Oscar witnessed from the airship, was already at the scene long before any Huntsmen knew to respond. Without so much as a hint of their arrival, it stood before two peculiar Megoliaths that strayed away from their pack, for the lure of negativity drew it in just the same. From the looks of the red markings on their trunks and the icy horns on their backs, they were both Alpha Megoliaths.

The very air around the three Grimm grew tense with venomous spite. No words were said. Any intent was made clear through the pure silence that only these blackened creatures could understand. For Grimm Ruby, its silence spoke the language of utter contempt for Salem, the God of Darkness, and any that would ruin lives on their behalf. That goes double for the Creatures of Grimm, as it is one such creature itself. For the Alphas, their silence spoke the language of personal enmity; one that goes beyond any mere urge to destroy what man and its ilk had built. Despite their advanced age and size, these Grimm had never known betrayal from one of their own.

They stand together, regardless of shape and status, for the singular purpose of bringing destruction to the world and its people. This unity gives the Grimm strength; a hammer to wield, just as humanity would find its shield would they only set aside their differences. Yet the single Grimm standing before them violated the very tenets that each of their kin carried in their black hearts until death. It was the witch's own masterpiece that, in its heresy, broke the perfect unity of the Grimm, just as the witch herself once broke the unity of the humans she lived among so long ago.

One of the Alphas took a single step forward and the ground shook underneath its weight. It was a single warning to the heretic that stood its ground which, despite their great enmity, was given freely out of respect to their one true god and the pools that all blackened creatures hold sacred, but the heretic stood its ground. With hatred in its red eyes, the scythe it wielded flared with the festering anger of every Atlesian life lost by Salem's hand.

Without further deliberation, the Alphas charged toward Grimm Ruby, whipping ashen snow and hail beneath their massive feet. This contrasted the dark flames that Grimm Ruby exuded from its quick movements. When fire and ice collided, the two forces canceled each other out, leaving behind neither burn nor frost. This left Grimm Ruby locked with one of the Alphas, pushing each other with the strength of their physical bodies alone.

The two bore equal force, with neither able to push the other, even as the road underneath them grinded into gravel. Seeking a way to take advantage of their lack of arms to block attacks with, Grimm Ruby deftly maneuvered itself off the ground. It climbed up the Alpha's trunk with feet and claw, leaving one free to carry its scythe, and quickly attempted to cut its trunk off with a horizontal swing…only for the scythe's blade to get caught on one of its tusks.

The tusk itself sizzled from the scythe's flames, leaving a red hot patch on the its white bone, but was otherwise undamaged. A nervous look crept across Grimm Ruby's face; this was the first time its scythe failed to completely cut through its enemy. Trying in vain to pull out the jammed scythe, its eyes crossed the knowing gaze of the Alpha it was latched on, and saw what neither human nor Faunus ever could. If they looked at a Grimm, they wouldn't see the intent behind their destructive acts. An untrained Huntsman would only see a mindless beast in front of it, but Alpha Grimm were anything but.

During the brief clash, the other Alpha coiled its trunk around Grimm Ruby's upper torso and pried it off its partner, leaving the scythe wedged in the latter's tusk. With its arms wrapped around the Alpha's mighty trunk, Grimm Ruby was helpless to stop the mammoth from slamming it to the ground, over and over again. Each earth-shattering impact left visible cracks across Grimm Ruby's forehead, as well as the ground underneath it. Although the dark flames that emanated from its body usually did so when it moved quickly, they ended up igniting the Alpha's trunk through the latter's constant flailing. This did nothing to actually stop the attack, however.

With a twitch of its giant body, more show burst from the Alpha and put out the flames. Grimm Ruby used this brief pause in an attempt to ignite its entire body to free itself, but the Alpha cut this short by swinging it through the metal walls of a nearby building, then another, and another. Like before, the dark flames emerged from its body, engulfing the remains of each wall. Left unchecked, they would eventually spread to the rest of each building.

With a final swing of its trunk, the Alpha threw Grimm Ruby to the pavement. With its giant foot pressed down upon the latter's body, the two locked eyes with one another. Grimm Ruby's left cheek was broken, revealing the innards of its gritted teeth and jaw. Though its whole body was injured from that assault, it gave no hint of fear or lament; only a silent contempt toward the Grimm and everything they stood for. The Alpha, in turn, gave no words, for any Grimm this old were different from the flamboyant crime lords that bragged about their motives only to get eaten alive and the power-hungry Fall Maidens that wasted time gloating over their defeated enemies only to fail their goals at the last second. These Grimm didn't make stupid mistakes like that.

Through its understanding of the Grimm mind, however, Grimm Ruby felt the Alpha's intent without need of words or expressions. It wasn't simply bad luck that the scythe got caught on the Grimm's mammoth-sized tusk. The Alpha _planned_ that move in advance, having twisted its head to cause the tusk to intercept the attack. Even the act of smashing it through buildings was, in itself, a battle tactic. By spreading the flames of destruction through the constructions of mankind, the heretic would be fulfilling the purpose that their one true god imparted upon it, even against its own will.

In their unspoken language, there lied recollections of a warrior with terrible eyes of silver with light that cast even the mightiest of their kin to the dirt, and how whimsical it is that the heretic would bear such a likeness to her. Many of their kind fell in the Battle of Atlas, when Salem commanded them directly, but a few escaped with their lives to kill another day. The survivors would learn from the mistakes of the dead and adapt. By knowing the original Ruby's tactics and fighting style, the Alphas could anticipate how her Grimm self would fight, only with no dreadful light to contend with. It was this assumption, however, that revealed a single flaw in the Alphas' otherwise vast intelligence.

They assumed that the original Ruby was dead; that her disappearance marked the end of her light. Salem's initial triumph of the battle was the last that the surviving Grimm had saw of Ruby. The despair Grimm Ruby sensed from the people of Mantle reinforced this belief; broken and in need of a savior. They had no idea that her Grimm self had actually chosen not only to preserve the original Ruby's life over destroying Salem that night, but to bring her back here as well. If they had, they might not have orchestrated this latest attack over what was left of Mantle.

Without delay, the Alpha slammed its foot upon Grimm Ruby's battered body, over and over. Each loud crack across its body was more painful than the last. In the split seconds between impacts, Grimm Ruby glimpsed at a green light in the sky. It gave a weak smile at the sight; that light was Penny. It had to be. Of course, she could see such large Grimm from the sky and eventually intervene, even if she couldn't see Grimm Ruby itself. The Alphas must have sensed this as well, as the one pinning Grimm Ruby to the pavement stopped its assault. Meanwhile, the other one scouted ahead, peeking around the wreckage. That move revealed a second flaw.

While both Alphas were very intimate with the original Ruby's fighting style, or at least scythe wielders in general, they weren't aware of a particular trait that her Grimm self's scythe possessed. Namely, that when it was moved too far from its master, it would be forced back due to the God of Darkness' decree that "his eye would always be watching." Perhaps that same god "conveniently forgot" to tell the other Grimm about that, but the truth was speculative at best. The scythe dislodged itself from the Alpha's tusk and flew straight toward Grimm Ruby…or more specifically, the Alpha's foot that kept Grimm Ruby pinned.

Compared to its sturdy tusk, its heel was much less armored; enough so that the burning scythe caught the Alpha off guard enough to lift its foot off Grimm Ruby. Though battered and cracked all over, it wasn't broken. It quickly pulled itself up, ignoring the searing pain that spiked from each piece of its blackened body that fell to the pavement. Using its own scythe that protruded from the Alpha's leg as a means to support its weight, it sank its claws deep in the its underbelly. Despite the coating of ice cancelling out the flames that usually came from them, its underbelly was even softer than its foot. Grimm Ruby pierced its innards in seconds.

With a mighty, yet agonized roar, the Alpha bent downward and attempted to pry Grimm Ruby off its belly with its trunk. Having already endured the wrath of that trunk once before, Grimm Ruby snatched it when the opportunity arose. The Alpha attempted to pull Grimm Ruby off its underbelly, but the latter's claw was still deep in its underbelly. This only made the gash under its body worse, with black smoke seeping from the wound and its suffering rejuvenating Grimm Ruby's battered body. Realizing the futility of pulling the enemy beneath it and being unable to see well with its trunk pulled inward, the Alpha barreled aimlessly across the streets, crashing through buildings, automotives, and traffic lights across the ruined city.

Grimm Ruby felt the Alpha's intent; the latter's body stopped exuding snow just a moment ago. Without them, the flames from Grimm Ruby's body ignited across every inch that the Alpha moved. If it couldn't kill the heretic or escape death at its claws, it would spread the flames that threatened to slowly engulf its body as much as possible. Given its sheer size and stamina, this final act could surely leave at least a huge portion of what's left of Mantle as a charred wasteland, if not all of it.

Just wounding the Alpha wasn't enough. It needed to be stopped in its tracks, but Grimm Ruby couldn't do anything more than grind its feet across the pavement. Though equal in strength just a moment ago, Grimm Ruby's current position made it difficult to even get a foothold on the ground, let alone restrain the Alpha. It would take some much needed help to stop this mammoth, and Grimm Ruby was in no position to call for any aid.

It was in luck, however. Like the answer to a prayer that waited to be called upon, a devastating green beam came from the sky and struck the Alpha. It wasn't enough to significantly damage the mammoth, but it did stop it in its tracks. Grimm Ruby wouldn't waste this chance. It sank its claws deeper in the Alpha's underbelly, and eventually the rest of its upper body. The Alpha's roars grew less mighty and more agonized. In the same way that a monstrous instinct constantly claws through Grimm Ruby's personality from the inside out, so too would that sentient Grimm claw its way through the insides of an Alpha Megoliath; one of the mightiest of their shadowy kin.

The amalgamation of smoke and suffering that built up from the inside of the Alpha's body did much to mend the damage that it had inflicted upon Grimm Ruby a moment ago. Once its claws tore through its head and out one of the Alpha's eyes, Grimm Ruby's body was completely restored. At the same time, the Alpha slumped to the pavement and died, leaving behind a smoldering mass of dark flames. The signature Grimm smoke rose from the flames and evaporated.

When Grimm Ruby walked out of the flames and got a good view of its mysterious aid, its suspicions were confirmed. It was Penny, though judging from the confused look on her face, she wouldn't know anything about the dark flames or why a terrifying red-eyed creature covered in said flames would suddenly have emerged from the Alpha's death. Penny's swords were drawn toward it, watching carefully.

"Wait!" Grimm Ruby exclaimed, holding its claws up.

"Ruby? Is that—" she asked, pausing when the gray skin and red eyes came into plain view. "No, you're not Ruby. You're 'other Ruby.'"

"Penny," Grimm Ruby said, distracted by the sight of a friendly face after that savagery…even if it was a bit confused.

"We heard the alarm," Penny said. "Oscar had just warned us of a Grimm that looked just like Ruby."

"Oscar? But…does he think—"

"Is it true then?" Penny asked with a serious and direct disposition. "I thought you merely looked like one. Are you really…a Creature of the Grimm?" Her swords pointed at Grimm Ruby as she awaited its answer. Knowing there was no point in hiding it after everything that happened, the sentient Grimm let out a resigned bestial growl.

"Yeah," it said, taking its gaze off Penny. "I am Grimm. This body, this scythe, all of it…except for the original Ruby's personality."

"I see, but Oscar said you were protecting the people. And the Creature of the Grimm only ever destroy. I was instructed to act with extreme caution. Why do you act so differently from them?"

"Penny, I just told you! I…" Grimm Ruby tried to explain, only to stop when it sensed a strong sense of terror come from just across the 39th Avenue. It was definitely from people; not Huntsmen or military remnants, but helpless civilians. It couldn't decipher just how many, but the terror was great enough to attract the Grimm, including itself. "Someone's under attack! I can feel it! We need to go…_now_!"

It sprinted toward the terror, with dark flames burning the pavement it traversed. Penny, who did not know the entire truth, pursued the sentient Grimm with her with the rocket thrusters implemented in her boots.

"And how do you know such information, talking Grimm that looks like Ruby?" Penny shouted, keeping her pace with Grimm Ruby. "How could you possibly respond to an emergency before the rest of Mantle even heard about it? And why are you hurting Mantle with your flames? Your claim of 'feeling it' does not make sense!"

"Please just trust me!" Grimm Ruby shouted back, maintaining its fiery sprint the entire time. "I can explain everything later, but there's no time right now!"

From Grimm Ruby's point of view, it made sense for the two to work together, even if Penny didn't trust it yet. The original Ruby typically needed the aid of her allies to overcome powerful foes. Even the very first Alpha that the original encountered before Atlas' fall needed to be slain by a joint effort between her, Penny, and Harriet. Naturally, her Grimm self considered doing the same, but then there was the threat of the ever-present dark flames. One wrong move, and Penny would surely get burned. Could these flames burn through android metal just as easily as human flesh? Hopefully, they wouldn't have to find out.

"But there is no reason to litter the streets with that fire!" Penny exclaimed. In an attempt to stop the sentient Grimm from potentially burning all of Mantle, she manipulated one of the Floating Array blades from her backpack toward it. The thin, string-like cable attached to the blade was meant to restrain Grimm Ruby…only for the wire to spontaneously wither and combust in contact with the dark flames. In its weakened state, the wire snapped the instant it came into contact with Grimm Ruby's leg.

Penny's astonishment was palpable. These were the same cables that once destroyed her previous body back in Amity Colosseum; her _metal_ body. Even if had second thoughts with actually harming the sentient Grimm, that one wire should have been enough to stop someone of that size from running. Instead, it didn't even break its pace; not for a fraction of a second, and neither did the brick wall in front of it as Penny watched the sentient Grimm bulldoze its way through it without missing a beat. Leaving the discarded blade behind, she flew over the walls, keeping a watchful eye on Grimm Ruby. Based on the direction it was moving, it would come in contact with the Megoliath Alpha she saw earlier.

"So you are fighting the Grimm," Penny said with uncertainty, "but are you truly siding with us?"

She manipulated all of the blades, minus one, behind her back, and focused her efforts on the remaining Megoliath Alpha. Grimm Ruby followed the sense of terror that beckoned it. A Grimm was obviously responsible for it, but the terror overpowered the typical negativity that a Grimm would emit. That terror led it back into the streets, where the Alpha was in its sight. As the terror suggested, there was a civilian running desperately from the Alpha that was trying to trample her. From the size of her, she couldn't be any older than an eight-year-old girl.

There was little wonder that the terror was so overpowering. That girl's tiny legs barely kept her from being flattened. With utter fear for this girl in its eyes, Grimm Ruby sprinted toward the Alpha and leaped on its face. The two Grimm locked eyes with one another, and in their silent language, they recognized each other. Expecting a scythe attack, the Alpha curled its fact to intercept it with its tusk like the last one did. Grimm Ruby had learned from this error, however, and resorted to plunging its claw deep in one of its eye sockets.

The Alpha roared in agony, flailing its head in an attempt to shake Grimm Ruby off its face. It would have trampled through the buildings like the last one. Grimm Ruby sensed its intent. However, the wired blades from Penny's Floating Array restrained it just enough to keep it from moving far. Using this chance, Grimm Ruby leaped off its enemy's head, ripping its eye out with it. It slid underneath the Alpha's underbelly and sliced it open with a quick slash of the scythe.

With a roar more agonized than the last, the Alpha fell to the pavement. Its wounded belly was exposed, allowing Grimm Ruby to pry it open with its claws. It climbed inside the Alpha's stomach, sank its claws through the back of its skull, and pried out its insides. This killed the Alpha in seconds. Its body dissolved into the same burning smoke that the last one did.

Penny hovered over the scene, her swords returning to her side. With an arm gesture, her eyes glowed with green flames of her own. Suddenly, a huge snowstorm blanketed the ground where Grimm Ruby stood, putting out the dark flames. It looked up, and saw Penny channeling snow from her body. Seeing this feat reminded it of something from the original Ruby's memories. Penny had inherited the Winter Maiden's powers shortly after Ironwood's declaration of martial law. This must be what it was seeing. When she was finished, Penny came to the ground; her cautious eyes locked on Grimm Ruby.

"I would like some answers from you now," she said. "Why did you—"

"Where is she?" Grimm Ruby asked in a panic. It frantically searched the snow, looking for the source of the terror, but there was none. "There was a girl! She was—"

The words stopped when it discovered the body of a small girl. Her heart was pierced by the Alpha's tusk left behind before it, too, dissolved into nothing. Blood seeped from the lifeless body across the snow. Grimm Ruby couldn't believe it. She was dead. The same nightmares that the original Ruby carried in her heart all flashed through her Grimm self's mind at once.

"I…" Grimm Ruby whispered. "I was too late." First Penny, then Pyrrha, and now this. "I wasn't fast enough. I…I couldn't."

Penny was left aghast at the sight. Her hands crept over her eyes, crying without tears to shed. Grimm Ruby's tears, however, were very visible. They struck the pavement, dissolving the snow that coated it like fire.

"She was so young...so innocent," Grimm Ruby whispered. "Why? Why did she have to die? She didn't have a chance to live. No matter how hard I try...it's not enough." Its limbs quivered, and more dark flames ignited the ground underneath it. "Still…not enough."

A surprised gasp left Penny's lips. She put the pieces together.

"Now I understand," she said with sorrow. "It is not that you wish to bring these flames. You cannot control them."

"My…flames?" Grimm Ruby asked quietly.

"That is why you were so destructive," Penny said, more sympathetic than before, "even though you act differently from other Grimm."

That wasn't necessarily the case, however. The world only burned when it moved quickly or lost control of its emotions. That's not quite the same as "having no control at all." A small part of Grimm Ruby wanted to clarify that, but it couldn't find the words to even say it. Words were something primarily used by humans to communicate. Faunus and even sentient androids used them as well. Not a Grimm, however. They didn't speak like people.

"Is my assumption correct?" Penny asked.

"Kill them," Grimm Ruby finally said.

"What?"

Someone oblivious to Grimm Ruby's true intent would think it had emotionally snapped when that poor girl died. That was far from the case, however. It wasn't crazy; in fact, its mind was clear and focused.

"The Grimm," Grimm Ruby said quietly and venomously. "They…are…everywhere. Not just Mantle…not just Solitas…all of Remnant."

Ever since it set foot in Atlas, it tried everything it could to act human; from following traffic laws to awkward socializing. It never wanted to be Grimm. It never asked for it. The destructive urges, the dangerous flames, the constant feeling of negativity around it; it hated every second of it and wanted to distance itself from that truth as much as possible. In casting that side of it away and fighting like a Huntress, it had inadvertently limited its own prowess. At no point did it resort to its truly terrifying impulses until after it had its body restrained by that Alpha. It made itself vulnerable, despite being "Destruction itself" by the original Ruby's account. That error gave the Alpha the time it needed to find its victim. Grimm Ruby's mistake allowed this tragedy. It was that simple.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked, both sad and a bit fearful at the sentient Grimm mumbling like a lunatic.

"All…they do…is kill," Grimm Ruby said, standing up. It gave Penny a chilling stare. "Every…last…one…must…die."

It walked across the street, following wherever the negativity came from. There would surely be more Grimm. Any remaining sadness for that girl's senseless death was replaced by a cold hatred for the creatures responsible. Its thoughts were filled with all of the horrific things it wanted to do to every single Grimm unfortunate enough to cross its path. Penny followed it, both out of concern for Grimm Ruby's well-being, and out of fear for what might happen if it was left unchecked.

"No good…can ever come…from Grimm. They…are evil…without mercy."

And so, Grimm Ruby finally cast aside any remaining pretense of being human. No more acting, no more being the shining silver beacon of hope that it wasn't. That role belonged to Ruby. It always did. It couldn't bring hope to others, but it could certainly bring a great terror to the Grimm that no mere Huntsman ever could before. To do that, it would have to fight like the very monster that it is.

"Kill them…must…kill them all."


	21. Embracing the Monster Within

**Hello everybody! The following message is here to let followers of my writing know that the first manuscript of Volume 1 of my new series, **_**Twin Souls**_**, is complete. It has nothing to do with RWBY nor is it a fanfiction, but an original full-length novel that should be released once I get the marketing particulars worked out. This occasion is momentous enough for me to spread through every source of media I have, hence my doing so through a fanfiction chapter. Those that want to follow me through my Facebook or WordPress accounts for more information can do so my profile page.**

**Without further ado…**

From an outsider's perspective, watching someone walk so calmly across the ruined streets of Mantle in the midst of a Grimm attack would be unsettling. Even Penny, who had flew ahead to fight the rest of the Grimm, kept a watchful eye on this unusually serene individual. In truth, however, Grimm Ruby was far from serene. Having been too late to save an innocent; yet another from the original Ruby's memories, and a child, no less, locked her Grimm self in a state of constant anguish and hatred.

Only the personality copied within the sentient Grimm's mind kept such venomous negativity from leaking out; from engulfing everything around it in an fiery eruption. Its face was unexpressive and its movements casual; every ounce of festering rancor it possessed for its fellow Grimm was confined underneath an unimpeachable voice of self-control. It need no longer run nor leave the streets it walked upon in flames. Not anymore.

Even as Penny rained down beams of emerald from the skies, striking down the vile creatures like an angel in the skies, she would occasionally miss a few and watch as they, without exception, sought Grimm Ruby over all others. Its negativity was so great now that the Grimm would invariably be attracted to it over any terrified civilians. Seeing an Ice Sabyr sprint across the rooftops of Mantle, she reacted immediately.

"Eighty degrees to your right!" she yelled. "An Ice Sab—"

That was all the time she had to warn Grimm Ruby of the charging Sabyr before it leaped from the roof, claws out and fangs open wide enough to clamp down on its skull…only for it to be impaled on the scythe that Grimm Ruby preemptively held out before it could even touch it. Even as the Sabyr's body slid down the scythe toward Grimm Ruby's claw and tried to bite its face off, the latter made no forceful movements against it; nothing quick enough to spark a flame.

Without outward emotion, Grimm Ruby sank its claw deep in the Sabyr's jaw, snapped it off, and dropped it to the ground. This was followed by lifting the rest of the Sabyr over its head, tearing its ribcage open, wrenching its scythe through its body, and finally tossing the remains away like little more than pointless trash.

And it did all of this without a break in its casual stride, like butchering a Grimm with such cruelty was as ordinary for it as breathing was for a normal person. And why wouldn't it be? It could sense the Sabyr's coming with or without Penny's warnings. For once, the consistent desire to "be a hero, like in storybooks" and the destructive impulses of being a Grimm could finally cooperate. Something must die to make the world better.

No longer holding its innate negativity back out of fear, it chose to use it, turning their own attraction toward negativity against them. It's very presence may have already drawn Grimm in the past, but actively using it to such an extent could beckon them toward it like a siren's call, both spelling their doom and sparing innocents. It was just like Aisufurawa all over again with the Apathy with the way it kept its emotions bottled up like that, only to let it loose upon the zombie-like Grimm. That short one-sided fight ended with Apathy and humans alike terrified, but at least the latter were saved. Now, that fear may extend to the collective opinion of Mantle's remnants by the end.

This, Grimm Ruby, concluded was a small price to pay. If it meant no more innocents had to die, Grimm Ruby could make its righteous hatred of its own species absolute. It turned around the corner where the street led toward the northern end of Mantle and the now grounded remains of Atlas lied in view. It made sense. Even if the people there were already dead, much anguish revolved around these old homes long after their inhabitants have passed; homes that were now literally crushed under the "might of Atlas." The sight of it was painful, but no matter where the Grimm were coming from, Grimm Ruby would follow, always using the negativity as a guide.

Like before, more Sabyrs were drawn in by Grimm Ruby's animosity; a whole pack this time. One of them closed in on it from behind, but just like the last one, its inherent negativity gave away its presence. It was promptly bisected by Grimm Ruby's scythe mid-leap, with both scalding halves landing on the pavement on its left and right. Two more followed, both from each side, and sank their fangs into Grimm Ruby's shoulders to restrain its arms.

At this precise moment, a single angry growl left Grimm Ruby's lips. A quick burst of the dark flame that it constantly kept within coursed through its body, for it had chosen that specific moment to let out a single spark of its rancor. This loosened their grip over Grimm Ruby's shoulders immediately; their lean bodies being far weaker than the Megoliath Alphas before them. Sinking its claws into both their skulls, Grimm Ruby finished them off by smashing them through each other with their fangs penetrating the insides of their mouths and through their eyes.

Penny was still present in the fight, slaying Sabyr after Sabyr with her Floating Array alongside Grimm Ruby. One died with a sickening howl when the wires around Penny's swords squeezed it to pieces right in front of Grimm Ruby. It was a cruel reminder of what happened to Penny's old body back in Amity Colosseum. It couldn't bear to think of it; to have its burning hatred for the Grimm turn into a gentle sorrow for Penny. That wouldn't help in the middle of battle, plus it was all in the past.

Speaking of which, numerous airships soon entered the battle from the skies above. Their searchlights were focused on one Sabyr in particular. It stood at least a foot taller than the others, with four top fangs instead of two, and its sleek body encased in bone. This was undoubtedly a Sabyr Alpha. The original Ruby never saw one before, as her Grimm self couldn't recall ever encountering one. It didn't quite know what to expect, aside from being larger and stronger than other Sabyrs, but the way they followed its lead suggested that it possessed leadership capabilities.

"Ruby Grimm, you must exercise caution," Penny warned. "Those Sabyrs have specifically targeted you over anyone else."

"Must…kill," Grimm Ruby muttered without so much as glancing in Penny's general direction. Its anger remained unabated by her words. More Sabyrs charged toward Grimm Ruby; too many to count.

"Did you hear me?" Penny exclaimed. "You're letting your pain consume you! I know seeing that child die was painful, but the Grimm are drawn to your anger!"

There was a part of Grimm Ruby that was consciously aware of the worry it imposed upon Penny. Even though luring the Grimm was the point, the original Ruby still valued her deeply. However, there was another part of it; a more deranged and monstrous side that simply didn't care how Penny or anyone else felt. If it had nothing to do with protecting innocents and killing Grimm as efficiently as possible, it didn't matter.

Ironically, Penny's warning sounded like one of the old stories that the original Ruby heard from her sister when she was little. It was said that if you let your heart be consumed by hate, then a monster would eat you from the inside out until you became one yourself. The moral of the story was to never hold a grudge, lest it consume you, so the very idea that a toxic and unrelenting hatred could actually protect others is self-contradictory. Then again, there was a twisted logic to it all for Grimm Ruby.

It was built by Salem to be a monster, it was commanded by the God of Darkness to be an engine of destruction, and it was given little trust by those the original Ruby deemed friends and family. Yet despite it all, it chose to behave more like a Huntress. From the very moment it rose from that pool and chose the original Ruby's well-being over any attempt to destroy Salem, it stood in contrast to anything a Creature of Grimm would ever expect to be. It was, and has always been, a walking contradiction.

Seven more Sabyrs swarmed Grimm Ruby's position from all sides. Penny did her best to defend it, but her green beams of light only struck down three of them before the other four clung to Grimm Ruby, biting and clawing its body even as dark flames continued to pulsate from it. Agonized howls left the jaws of each Sabyr as each one was cruelly ripped apart by claw and scythe, one by one. Though the Sabyrs clawed and bit back, the sounds of scraped metal from of such attacks suggested they were attacking a suit of armor instead of flesh. Even as more and more Sabyrs joined the growing pile of black skin, white bones, and red markings, the sentient Grimm stood firm, silent and unrelenting.

Penny struck down as many Sabyrs as possible. She tried to quell the result of Grimm Ruby's rage; to stop the relentless tidal wave of vile creatures that came for it. Soon, however, the sounds of scraped metal was engulfed by more Sabyr howls, and eventually the gruesome sound of torn flesh. Fearing the worst, Penny worked on freeing Grimm Ruby from the ever-growing pile of burning Sabyrs. She used her swords, prying each of them one by one with the wires, and tearing them apart. She dared not use her stronger green energy beams or Maiden powers as she felt that would harm her unusual ally.

After entire minutes of constant savagery, the pile grew smaller and Grimm Ruby's seething face became visible. Penny could see it, unyielding from the horde, tearing and flaying each and every Sabyr before tossing them aside and moving on to the next one. As the last one died with its neck torn from its body, the Alpha overseeing the attack howled, and the remaining Sabyrs stop in their tracks. Grimm Ruby could sense it beyond the usual negativity. Beyond their usual desire to destroy, there was a quiet fear in nearly every remaining Sabyr. Even their legs quivered; their attraction toward hatred was in conflict with their fear of the heretic before them. Only the Alpha remained relatively composed.

"Is that the leader?" Penny asked, briefly glancing at the Alpha while she was still preoccupied with striking down nearby stragglers.

Undeterred by the Sabyr assault, Grimm Ruby's eyes glared at the Alpha's, which glared back. The same silent language that they shared revealed that the Alpha, too, possessed a modicum of both restraint and valor underneath its hunger for destruction. While Grimm Ruby restrained itself to avoid innocent casualties and minimize collateral damage, however, the Sabyr Alpha restrained itself to avoid fruitless battles that it couldn't win. Moreover, the way that Grimm Ruby felt its specific thought come from every remaining Sabyr suggested that it could also project its will upon what was left of its pack; further proof that it could lead such savage creatures.

As the airships drew close enough to accurate fire upon the pack, the Alpha howled once more. This time, the remaining Sabyrs were fleeing. From an outsider's perspective, they appeared to simply be running for their lives. Like any intent that Grimm Ruby felt from an Alpha, however, its ferocious appearance belied a proper understanding of battle tactics. They weren't fleeing in terror; the Alpha's calmer mental state reflected that. In fact, the Alpha's method of silent communication among its fellow Sabyrs allowed Grimm Ruby to get a glimpse of a greater strategy at work. Only a glimpse…

"Are you okay?" Penny asked, both worried and in awe. She wasted no time in putting out the flames with her Maiden powers. "I have calculated at least twenty. You were attacked by so many. How do you still stand?"

"Penny," Grimm Ruby said with a strained voice that was more distorted than usual. Its hunger for destruction was briefly sated after killing so many Sabyrs, giving it an opportunity to speak. Penny gasped upon hearing Grimm Ruby suddenly say something coherent. "Protect…Mantle…and…its people. I…will keep…killing."

After a brief glance, Grimm Ruby walked away without another word. Penny stared silently, not knowing what to say. It walked slowly, being careful not to burn anything more than it did. Once more, it went in the direction of the negativity, where the other pack of Grimm were sure to be found. The unusual thing about it was that the strongest feeling of negativity came from the direction opposite of where the Sabyrs ran.

"You did not answer me," Penny said, suspicious of Grimm Ruby. "And you are walking the wrong direction. The Sabyrs—"

"Something's…wrong," Grimm Ruby interrupted. "Grimm…everywhere…but…"

"You are not making any sense!"

"Feel…them…that way. Much…stronger. They're…coming. So…many. Must…kill."

"Stronger? Are you referring to more Grimm? I do not detect any in the city, except for the Sabyrs…oh, and you."

"This…way. Must…go…this way."

The two reached an awkward silence as Grimm Ruby followed where its senses compelled it to go, with Penny overseeing it and the rest of the city from the air. The occasional Grimm would still be drawn in by Grimm Ruby's festering rancor; likely stragglers that didn't belong to the Alpha's pack. They were, of course, slain without a break in its stride. Along the way, Grimm Ruby passed by the fighting Huntsmen of Ruby's group. Naturally, they joined the fight for what was left of the city.

A brief glance revealed Blake and Yang fighting alongside one another against a Sphinx. They used the usual tactics from the original Ruby's memories. Blake used hit and run tactics while Yang pummeled the Sphinx directly. There wasn't any panic or fear in their hearts, so they didn't seem to need more help. Also, Penny would rain down more beams of light from the air upon any more Grimm she saw if things got out of hand. Everything seemed to be under control, so Grimm Ruby turned back to follow the negativity without a word. That is, until Yang noticed it just after slaying the Sphinx with a Semblance boosted punch.

"Ruby? I thought you were with Wei—" Yang exclaimed. "Oh, hang on. You're the other Ruby. _The Grimm one._"

Yang said those last three words with a scowl. It was clear to Grimm Ruby that she was still upset about it having burned her little sister; her _real_ sister. Even so, the fact that she wasn't immediately attacking it like any other Grimm was noteworthy.

"Is she here to help?" Blake asked. Another Sabyr came out of nowhere, sprinting toward Grimm Ruby like all the others. Neither Yang or Blake seemed to notice it.

"I don't know," Yang said, putting her fists and her guard up. "Well, are you with us or against us?"

Without words, Grimm Ruby caught the pursuing Sabyr in midair and sank its fangs into its throat. It only had time to give a weak howl before its would-be killer tore its head off from the neck down with its fangs. Yang and Blake both watched with their mouths wide open when it casually tossed the Sabyr's headless remains at their feet, just a second before its body dissolved into smoke.

"Oooookaaaaay?" Yang muttered, unnerved by the ghastly sight of something resembling her sister biting a monster's head off. It left without further interaction with the two. The negativity it sensed was growing more and more compelling with each second.

Speaking of which, Grimm Ruby's strategy of using its own hatred to attract its prey wasn't as effective as it wanted it to be. The whole point was to attract all Grimm and end the attack without having to move around and burn things, but the only Grimm that actually took the bait were Sabyrs, not including the Alpha. No Sphinxes or Megoliaths fell for this trick yet, which suggests that this works only on the weaker varieties of Grimm.

The walk seemed to go on for at least a half hour, with the attention consuming source of negativity yet unexplained. Just what could be so potent to demand its undivided attention for so long, even over Blake and Yang? It had to find out. Something in Grimm Ruby's heroic personality had that gut feeling that it mustn't be ignored, even as its monstrous side compelled it to leave the city altogether.

The negativity was strongest in the frigid snow beyond the great wall that leads outside the city. It didn't make sense. If the Grimm were attacking Mantle, why was the negativity more potent outside? And so, it sank its claws in the metal walls that separated a snowy wasteland from a poor man's substitute of civilization. Upon reaching the top, everything became clear.

With a clear line of sight, Grimm Ruby could make out the negativity of over fifty Creatures of Grimm in the snowy field just outside, even though the night sky was too dark to actually see them. With little electricity for the few homes left in Mantle and even fewer people actually patrolling the borders, there were barely any security measures around them at all. Even Penny didn't notice them Under the cloak of night, these Grimm chose now to approach the city.

The strategy it glimpsed from the Saber Alpha was now clear. The Sabyr pack was used as a decoy, with Megoliaths and Sphinxes taking advantage of the chaos to punch holes in the city. With the attention and energy of the few remaining Huntsmen spent on the Sabyr pack, this much larger force was meant to move in undetected and make the final strike against the city from the other side. Seething with rage once more, Grimm Ruby felt the singular wish of senseless murder that every single desired upon the people of Mantle. No, of all people.

It remembered the little girl that just died in front of it. Even in agony, the Megoliath's last act wasn't one of defiance or even vengeance. It was cold-blooded murder against someone that had nothing to do with its pain. It killed someone who had never had any chance of harming it. These Grimm were no different. Grimm Ruby could feel it, both from the other Grimm and its own monstrous side. They were willing to sacrifice their own to get to the heart of a city. All that mattered now was halting this invasion…and ripping every single monster apart, one by one.

Falling freely from the wall into the snow below, the feeling of cold powder on its black skin meant one thing. It was out of town, far from the Huntsmen, far from the homes, and most importantly, far from the people; far enough, at least. There was nothing worth preserving in this snowy wasteland just outside Mantle. No wildlife, no plants, nothing. There was no reason to hold back even an ounce of these cursed flames.

And so, Grimm Ruby dashed through the snow with a speed rivaling its original self, letting the flames flow from its body freely without worry. Far from the rose petals it knew from the original Ruby's memories, the trail of burnt ashes and melted snow left behind from its speed was not granted by any Semblance. Rather, it was simply a byproduct of Salem's attempt to create the ultimate Grimm. Its own body could simply handle the velocity without the need of Aura.

In mere seconds, the first of the red eyes appeared in the darkness, and Grimm Ruby extended its scythe. Upon taking a single leap, it slammed its scythe to the ground, using the recoil to propel itself much higher. At the top of its height, it twirled its scythe and released every single ounce of animosity it carried within all at once, before finally striking the ground like a meteor.

_Humanity gone, a monster remains;_

_An abhorrent spite coursing through my veins._

Upon impact, the dark flames burst in such an extent that everything within twenty-five feet of its landing zone was instantly engulfed. Though they didn't illuminate their surroundings as well as normal fire, the dark flames still allowed Grimm Ruby to actually see its prey. At least half of them were still Sabyrs, but the other half composed of Megoliaths and Sphinxes. None of them seemed to be Alphas, but there were still far more Grimm here than the original Ruby had ever seen at a single place. From their point of view, they saw not a warrior, but a demon that spewed vitriol far worse than their own.

_Where does anger lead? Only time will tell;_

_You're all no better than demons from hell!_

The flames alone were already harmful to the cold-adapted Grimm; their pain reverberated in the air like a tidal wave that flooded Grimm Ruby with strength. Taking two of the Sabyrs caught by surprise, it grabbed their heads and crushed them together into paste. This was quickly followed up by a slice through one of the Sphinxes wings with its scythe, then bisecting its head from its body from above.

_My heart now burns clear, my will's absolute;_

_No matter the odds, I stand resolute._

By now, the rest of the horde no longer had a single thought about the prey that lay in the remnants of man's creation. Their attention was now focused entirely on the heretic that dared disrespect their one true god with its continued defiance. The Grimm fought back with a fury of a legion. Fangs and tusks, fireballs and ice; they disregarded any kind of one-on-one chivalry for the sake of ganging up on a single opponent.

_I'm above your temptation,_

_All I see's mutilation,_

_I'll never be one of yooooou!_

The battlefield felt more like a bullet hell video game than any of the awe-inspiring fights from the original Ruby's memories. Wherever in the flaming landscape that Grimm Ruby would dash across, a Grimm was there to impede it. This blazing field of ice offered nothing to hide under and no chance of respite. Even the original Ruby with her Semblance would be hard-pressed to evade every single attack thrown at it, yet her Grimm self fought on, uncaring of the wounds that its body, unshielded by Aura, would constantly suffer.

_So long as I stand, my scythe is unfurled;_

_The dark creatures will never claim this world._

The dark flames covering the entire battlefield gave it an advantage over any other Grimm. Where others, enemy and ally alike, would be hard pressed to even linger in the flames for very long, Grimm Ruby felt no discomfort from them. Its rage and its will were the two factors that controlled the fight. Pain was the respite that it could take by force. Every Megoliath that spent a second channeling ice from its legs to put out the dark flames and every Sphinx that flew to avoid them entirely was a second they couldn't spend attacking.

_Such fear and despair, all evil beware;_

_You now stand before your greatest nightmare!_

And the unfortunate Sabyrs, who had neither ice nor wings, wouldn't dare to disobey their larger brethren and abandon the fight. They could only linger in the flames, throwing themselves at the heretic with a fight or die mentality that didn't suit the swift and evasive creatures. Their presence, more than anything, was what contributed to Grimm Ruby's survival. They were weak, plentiful, and comparatively easier to kill than a larger Grimm. When the fight turned against it, tearing a Sabyr apart in a pinch would cause its suffering to rejuvenate Grimm Ruby's body.

_The tears and the blood, I shall not abide;_

_This world's salvation is my one true guide._

The Sabyrs were otherwise treated like a "trash mob." It focused primarily and the Sphinxes and Megoliaths, remaining constantly on the move to avoid the Sabyrs until needed. A Sphinx' wing torn off here, a Megoliath's eye ripped out there; every act of sadistic cruelty inflicted upon the Grimm would renew its fervor, undoing whatever damage it suffered, again and again. Over time, Grimm Ruby got creative. Sometimes, it would slice a Sphinx's hind legs off and throw the rest of it into a conveniently placed Megoliath's tusk like a shish kabob. Other times, it would leave a Megoliath with its eye ripped out alive and trick it into trampling over its own allies. Drawing out their pain would make its regenerative ability more effective. Whatever it could do to keep control of the fight, it did.

_Witch's scourge on man endures,_

_How fitting that I be yours,_

_I'll never be one of yooooou!_

And when the number of Grimm went from fifty to less than a dozen, the terror beneath their growls and roars were palpable. Some of the larger Grimm even considered fleeing to kill another day; an unprecedented act for non-Alpha Grimm. It was only their will to honor their true god that they remained to fight the heretic at all, for cowardice was a sin deserving worse than death to the Grimm. Their fewer numbers also gave Grimm Ruby some much needed space to maneuver. Its prey could barely hit it at all now.

_Despite the pain I go throoooough,_

_I'll never beeeee…one of yooooou!_

And when it sank its claws into the last Grimm, a Sphinx whose wings were previously torn off, it extended its scythe and sliced through its forehead down to its stomach with a single strike. It was in contrast with the previous cruelty it inflicted upon the other Grimm, but also a clear indicator that it was a Huntress at heart. It inflicted agonizing deaths upon its prey solely to keep its body in peak condition, but make their deaths quick when it wasn't necessary.

The fight lasted for what seemed like ten, or even twenty minutes; far longer than any fight that the original Ruby would have endured before exhaustion set in. Yet her Grimm self wasn't tired, not even a little bit, for each Grimm's death served to rejuvenate its stamina as well as its body. With no Grimm left to kill, it coiled its scythe around its arm, ready to head back to Mantle. It stopped after a few steps when it saw the devastation left behind, and finally faltered when it realized how horrible it could have been had the battlefield been Mantle itself.

The rising sun now shining upon the ruined landscape made the ground look more like glass now. Had there been any kind of life at all, even a plant or a bird, they would certainly have died in the crossfire. Contending with the worrying thoughts, it looked back at Mantle. It was unable to sense anything resembling a Grimm's presence from the city, which suggested that Penny and the other Huntsmen slew the rest while it was gone. Coming to the idea that the fight was now over, Grimm Ruby buried its monstrous side deep beneath its subconscious, leaving its copied personality dominant once more.

"Ruby?" it asked itself, half-wondering if the original could somehow hear it. "What would you think of me…if you saw me just now?"

_We've all lost something, and I've seen what loss can do to people. But if we gave up every time we lost, then we'd never be able to move forward. We'd never have a chance to see what beautiful things the future might have waiting for us. We'd never have the strength to change; whether it's ourselves, or the world around us. And we'd never be there for other people who might one day be lost without us._

"You saw it before…when we first met," it asked, looking up at the sky. "You saw the anger, the flames, the power; I was just like you, but I was also not like you at all. But it didn't matter. You still accepted me as my own person. What about now? How would you see me right now?"

_This is what we were training for; to become Huntresses, to be the ones to stand up and do something about all the bad in the world. Because there are plenty of people out there who are still lost and even more who will try to gain everything they can from their sorrow._

Grimm Ruby glanced down at its claws as a final memory flashed through its mind.

_Believe me when I say, I know it can feel impossible, like every single day is a struggle against some unstoppable monster we can never hope to beat._

A miserable smile crept across its face as it closed its eyes to the destruction around it.

"An unstoppable monster? Huh. The important thing to do when fighting one was to try for the people we haven't lost yet. You would have to hope that maybe others could continue the fight from your example and succeed if you fail. But what happens when you have an unstoppable monster of your own? What happens if those that choose to do evil could be just as terrified as those who choose to do good? Does the fight still feel impossible? Does it even the playing field and make things one step closer to being right? Or does it just force the world to contend with two monsters?"

There was no response, not even in its mind. None, especially the original Ruby, were in earshot of its questions.

"Nothing good can come from both monsters fighting each other if the whole world ends up reduced to ashes. It's just pointless destruction. That's right. Destruction; that what that god wants from me. He said that was my purpose. That's what scares me. It's so much different from not being strong enough. But how do I know when to stop?"

No response. The whole world was silent around it. Even with the original's memories and way of thinking, it was missing that spark of hope. In its place was an empty void, where its pent up anguish was buried until it cut loose in that one pivotal moment.

"How do I know when to fight for what's right and risk everything around me and when to let others do the fighting and let them risk their own lives? What if the difference I make is actually worse than just staying out of the fight altogether?"

Now mystified by the inner workings of its own mind with its negativity momentarily spent, Grimm Ruby spent second after agonizing second trying to recall something that it was never meant to possess. Hope; the very quality that the original Ruby had in abundance. When it tried to remember the little pep talks she would give to her friends or the brave speeches she would give in the face of adversity, it could never recall the meaning behind them, no matter how hard it tried. This emptiness gnawed at Grimm Ruby more than the destructive urges ever could.

"Ruby, these are the words you left me. Please help me to understand them."


	22. The Schnee Legacy

Ruby was exhausted. While she would normally make immediate conversation about what to do next regarding Mantle and the hunt for the Relics, everybody she brought it up to would give the same response: "It's late. You need to rest after what you've been through." Though she had only been separated from her group for two days, the sheer physical and emotional stress she went through made her appreciate the smaller things in life, like how soft the couch in the disheveled pharmacy was. Even the little spring sticking out of the side didn't bother her. She would've stayed asleep if it weren't for the urgent message from her scroll.

"This is Oscar Pine, commandeering Manta 2-9. Calling all Huntsmen and military remnants, a pack of at least fifty Grimm have appeared about eighty-five feet southeast of my position. They're moving fast! They've already reach the Sam and Weston and are coming closer by the second!"

It came right out of nowhere, and just when Ruby was about to have a good night's sleep for a change. She grimaced, silently wishing the Grimm would just go to bed like normal people, but prepared herself for the fight to come. This wasn't out of the ordinary. A Huntress should be ready to protect the people at a moment's notice, and it was for that reason that she never changed out of her outfit. She was already dressed, tattered cape and all. Getting ready was as simple as grabbing her precious Crescent Rose scythe she had just reunited with and walking out the door with her team.

"Whazzat?" Ruby asked in her groggy state. "What time is it?"

Weiss and Yang were already up; the latter sitting quietly next to Ruby while she slept. Normally, it would be very strange to have her sister practically stare at her as she slept, but her unwillingness to leave her side for a second may have been the result of nearly losing her to Salem. Blake came through the bedroom holding one of her books, but Ruby couldn't make out which one, as she had no time to adjust to waking up.

"There's one Grimm you must exercise extreme caution against," Oscar said through each scroll. "It looks just like Ruby! It's heading toward the Sam and Weston where the other Grimm are and…gods, no!"

"What?" Weiss exclaimed.

"That Grimm's doing this?" Yang added, curling her fists.

"There are civilians trapped at 39th Avenue!" Oscar exclaimed. "The Ruby Grimm is right there! It's about to—"

"That can't be!" Ruby exclaimed, suddenly becoming more aware at the mention of Grimm Ruby. "She wouldn't—"

"—protect them?" Oscar finished. The last two words were said in confusion.

"Protect them?" Blake asked.

"Well, yeah," Ruby said. "She would do that."

"But why did Oscar warn everyone to exercise extreme caution?" Weiss asked.

"I…I don't know," Ruby said hesitantly. She was sure there was a story to be found there, but that would have to wait. The other three glanced at each other, then back at Ruby. The looks on their faces made it clear that they still didn't trust Ruby's Grimm counterpart, yet nobody said it directly. Team JNR was still asleep in the bedroom; a fact that Yang would go to rectify.

"Hey, JNR! Get up! Emergency!"

The sounds of muffled groaning soon came from the bedroom. Ruby rose an eyebrow from her teammates' strange behavior. It would take a couple of minutes for everyone, save Ruby, to put on their combat gear. Nora was the first one out, though she was much less energetic than usual. She was followed by Jaune, then finally Ren. They also looked exhausted; even more than Ruby.

"Hey, uh…why are you guys so down?" Ruby asked. "Oscar said—"

"Yeah, we know," Jaune said, then yawned. "More…more Grimm."

"You look tired," Ruby said with a frown.

"You think?" Nora asked in a quiet, but clearly irritated tone. "Ever since Atlas fell on Mantle…_literally_, it's been hell."

"Aw, come on! It can't be that—" Ruby said, trying to cheer her team up with her usual optimism, only to stop mid-sentence when she saw the exasperated faces of everyone in the room. Team JNR, in particular, collectively have more wrinkles under their eyes than Ruby had fingers. "Oh. That bad, huh?"

Jaune and Weiss both nodded silently. Ruby watched them, followed by the rest of her team, pass her. They went out the door, one by one, and all with disheartened and exhausted demeanors. When Nora passed by her, Ruby gave her most positive smile, only for it to falter when she saw her face.

"They're bearing the worst of it," Nora said bitterly. "The people here; they lost their homes, their families. They're just barely clinging! So many of them, so few of us."

"Oh, uh…well, I'm sure it will…"

Ruby couldn't find the optimistic words to turn this situation around. At least, not right now. As she followed the rest of her team outside, one thing became perfectly clear: it was freezing. The heating grid was still offline since she was here last time. Also, she noticed some military hover bikes parked just behind the pharmacy. They looked just like the ones Yang, Ren, Jaune, and Oscar found during Salem's attack on Atlas. There were six in all; one for each of the group, save Ruby herself. She would have to sit on the back seat of one of the bikes.

"Oh! So you guys all got bikes," Ruby said out loud, hoping to get some kind of positive reaction. Nobody so much as glanced in her general direction, to her chagrin. Nearly everybody climbed in a bike. There didn't seem to be any assigned choices. Each Huntsman drove away, one by one, in the same direction; presumably toward the Sam and Weston. Weiss, however, kneeled down toward her bike.

"Hey, Weiss!" Ruby said enthusiastically. "Looks like we're partners again!"

Weiss said nothing. At first, Ruby thought she was engrossed in some kind of work in maintaining the bike, but a closer examination revealed that she wasn't actually doing anything.

"Uh, Weiss?"

"I know. I just need a minute," Weiss said solemnly, standing up. "It's never easy…having to see it."

"Weiss? Are you okay?" Ruby asked softly.

"Am I okay?" Weiss asked rhetorically. Her voice quivered from these three simple words, and her gaze turned toward the ground. "What do you think?"

"I think," Ruby said, now noticing the once floating island of Atlas now crushing part of Mantle, "you've been through a lot."

"A lot?" Weiss snapped. Her breathing was labored from her seething rage. "A lot is an _understatement!_ Ruby, take one good look at the situation we're in! Look at what's happened! _Look what's happened to Atlas!_"

"U-uh…" Ruby stuttered, bearing the brunt of Weiss' outrage. "It's seen…better days."

"Better d-aaah! Our kingdom was _annihilated!_ It's actually _worse_ here than the Fall of Beacon! At least there, the Huntsmen did what they could to contain the tragedy. But here, the military just abandoned the people! They abandoned Mantle, all because Ironwood declared Martial Law to escape Salem, but even _that_ failed! Look! _Just…look…at…Atlas!_"

"Yeah, that came out wrong. I'm sorry. I didn't think thing—"

"_It's gone!_ The most technologically advanced kingdom in the world couldn't stop Salem! _We_ couldn't stop her! We…" Weiss stopped to breathe, trying her best to hold back tears. She pointed at the giant hunk of land that used to be Atlas. "Ruby, that's what's left of it. That was my home. That was the place I spent my childhood. I…I know my family had their problems. I know my childhood wasn't always pleasant, but…I had happy moments there, too. Seeing my home, my legacy, my _past_ just ruined like that…I…"

"Is…there anything I can do to help?"

Weiss climbed in the front seat of the hover bike. Her face contorted into an expression of forced calm.

"I…you know what, forget it," she said, shaking off her sorrow. "There's…nothing we can do about that now. The past is gone."

"Weiss, if you need time to—"

"We don't _have_ time. The world doesn't just stop when you've lost something. Beacon taught us that, too. The people here need our help. If you want to pitch in, get in the back seat, so we can try and salvage what's left of this _lost cause_."

Those last two bitter words cut Ruby deeply. The Weiss she knew could occasionally be a bit haughty and cold, especially when the two first met at Beacon, but this went far beyond that. The way she turned away from the wreckage as she sat on the bike, the way the shadows under her eyes were more pronounced than everyone else's, and the way her shoulders slouched. Ruby didn't pick up on it until now, but her long-time partner and friend looked tired; not exhausted, but tired in the way that Ironwood was tired when the group first flew to Atlas.

Without another word, Ruby sat in the back; her face inches from the white strands in front of her. It was apparent that there was little room for a back seat passenger. The bikes were made for one person each.

"I bet it's just like riding with _Yaaaaaaa_—" Ruby said, screaming at the end when Weiss drove the bike at full speed right from the start. She initially grasped Weiss' waist in a desperate attempt to stay on the bike, trying her best to ignore the snow white hair smothering her face during the ride. A few futile spits and mewls later, Ruby turned her face to the right and just let Weiss' hair lean on her face. At this point, she had a clear view of the devastation around her.

The roads were cracked and disheveled, there were snapped power lines across tilted electric poles, and most of the windows were either cracked or boarded up. Mantle, as a whole, was a broken shadow of its former self. The severity of the situation finally started to sink in for Ruby. Hearing how bad things got from that pilot was one thing, but having to actually see it firsthand was something else entirely. She might have shed a tear for all the lives that were lost…if it wasn't for the way that Weiss suddenly swerved across the road.

"There's one up front!" Weiss exclaimed. Once Ruby got a moment to push Weiss' hair out of the way, she saw a single Sabyr up ahead. Just like that, the anxiety came to an abrupt halt. Ruby was typically one to live in the moment, and right now, that moment was hunting her first Grimm of the day. With Myrtenaster in her right hand and the bike's steering wheel in her left, Weiss conjured a series of glyphs that formed a curve over the side of the road, which she steered the bike into. The curve twisted into a point where she and Ruby were both speeding upside-down, above the Sabyr in question.

With a confident smirk, Ruby unsheathed her Crescent Rose and bisected the Sabyr's head from above, keeping her legs firmly wrapped around the bike. The stylish maneuver wasn't anything new. She did things like this with her Semblance on a regular basis. Now that she wielded Crescent Rose in battle once more, the familiar thrill that she'd lost had returned with it. Without so much as glancing back at the dissolving creature, the duo moved on to the next target.

Meanwhile, the other five were also on bikes, further ahead. No words needed to be said. They knew what to expect, having been Mantle's new unofficial "protectors" alongside Penny for the past couple of days now. Even Team JNR, who are still tired from their last "shift," could navigate past the tipped traffic lights and totaled automotives without any difficulty. Nora, in particular, was usually the one in front. That way, every time there was a large pile of debris blocking the team's path, a single grenade from her Magnhild could just blow a way through, even if she had to use extra effort with her arms into steady her aim on a hover bike.

One such occasion happened right now; three automotives stacked underneath a layer of brick wall that fell from a nearby building. Without bothering to wrap her mind around how such a pile would even stand so tall in the midst of such destruction, Nora fired a volley of pink grenades that exploded on contact with the debris. This created a big enough hole for even an airship to fit through. Nora and Jaune, who rode directly behind the former in another bike, spotted some of the Grimm just past the wreckage.

"Got a pack here," Jaune said through his scroll. "Two Sphinxes to the right, one more up ahead." He steered away from the oncoming fireball and spoke without missing a beat. "They're all on 41st Avenue. Execute attack plan: hole in one!"

That callout was not only meant to give an attack plan against the Sphinxes, but to alert the rest of the team of any important targets. The Sabyrs didn't require a special strategy to slay beyond "shoot, stab, smash, or punch them until they die." Their presence didn't warrant any specific command. Larger Grimm, however, usually required a team effort.

"There's more at the 39th," Oscar responded from the scroll. "It's just two miles from your current position. Penny's there right now, overseeing the Ruby Grimm. We still don't know if it's an enemy yet."

Team JNR were already in the fray by now. Attack plan "Hole-in-One" was something Jaune invented as an answer to the Grimm attacks in Mantle. The plan began as he jumped off his hover bike, showing himself right in front of one of the Sphinxes. With a sturdy shield, he stood tall, using himself as bait and blocking any fireballs shot at him. He only took his focus off the Sphinx when a Sabyr came at him from the side or behind, to which he would have to respond by swinging his sword. The move resulted in him getting bitten a few times, but his Aura could take it.

Meanwhile, Ren drove close to Nora's left and touched her back, using his Semblance to mask their presence to the Grimm. Disregarding any naughty thoughts she may have with his boyfriend so close to her, she twirled her Magnhild in her right hand and bashed a nearby Sabyr horizontally as she drove past it. The speed and trajectory of the blow was hard enough to send the Sabyr flying, directly in the Sphinx's throat. To the uninitiated, the sight of such a strategy would make them think that the team was merely treating the Grimm attack as an intense game of golf, hence the name "Hole-in-One."

In fact, it was actually a way to cease the Sphinx's fireball attacks quickly, as lodging a Sabyr in its throat prevented it from exhaling. That gave Jaune the opening he needs to skewer the Sphinx's head with his sword. Blake and Yang joined the fray from the back, turning their attention toward another Sphinx. Their own attack plan was simpler than "Hole-in-One." While in the air, Blake's Gambol Shroud was vital in allowing its wielder to swing through the air with her momentum like a grappling hook.

By throwing the weapon's sickle blade into one of the buildings and leaping off the hover bike, she got close enough to attack the flying Sphinx. The use of her Semblance was necessary to avoid the fireballs, and with a quick retraction of her sickle blade, she thrust it into the Sphinx's back and planted herself behind it. Once done, Blake needed only hack at her prey's wings enough to cause it to fall to the pavement, where Yang would them punch it at ground level over and over again without having to worry about avoiding attacks.

The remaining Sphinx, having seen the fate of the other two, created some distance between itself and the team of Huntsmen with its wings. It wasn't outright fleeing; the fact that it kept its gaze focused on its enemies and occasionally breathed fireballs upon them at random suggested it was merely changing its tactics. Blake looked back at Team JNR, who was still fighting one Sabyr after another, then glanced back at the remaining Sphinx that was slinking further and further away into the night.

"They can handle that," Blake said to Yang, as the former could tell that the latter was having second thoughts about leaving Team JNR to fight a battle to pursue a straggler. "We'll take this one."

The two got on their hover bikes. Even a single Sphinx could wreak havoc if left unopposed for very long, so the duo separated from Team JNR for now. Blake ended up taking a bit of extra time to get to hers due to having flung herself off of it…while it was still moving. Her hover bike ended up in a ditch.

"This is Yang," she said over the Scroll-radio communication as she drove. "We're breaking apart from Team JNR and pursuing another Sphinx. How's everything on your ends?"

"I suppose this is as good a time as any," Penny said. "Something is very wrong with the Ruby Grimm. At first, she spoke to me like a person did, but after we saw one of the victims, a poor young girl that did not get to live past her childhood, the Ruby Grimm…she…she just snapped."

"Penny?" Yang asked. "Wait, what do you mean 'she snapped?'"

"She barely speaks coherently to me now," Penny explained. "She mumbles things like how she wants to murder every Grimm and fights them with such cruelty. I can barely stand to even look at the things she does to them."

Meanwhile, Ruby and Weiss were having their own fight further away from the point of invasion. They hadn't caught up to the rest of the group yet, and only stopped when they did because they crossed paths with Sabyrs that were in close proximity with unarmed and defenseless survivors. During the fight, Ruby was the first to notice that something off. She didn't immediately vocalize it, but the Sabyrs didn't act like they normally did. They didn't charge at them or make swift zigzag motions to catch them off guard. Instead, they fled. They all went toward the same direction: toward 39th Avenue. Even the ones that got past Ruby and Weiss just left them without so much as a parting bite.

"Have I gone insane," Weiss asked, "or did the Grimm really just _ignore_ us?"

Even more unusual was how the Sabyrs also ran past the survivors, leaving them unscathed.

"That's…" Ruby tried to answer. "Huh."

"Hey, everybody!" Jaune called out over his Scroll. "The remaining Sabyrs are acting really strange. They're all consolidating toward one location. They just ran past us right in the middle of our fight!"

"Yeah, it just happened to us, too," Ruby said.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked.

"What's _she_ doing here?" one of the survivors asked. "_Traitor!_"

The response was so sudden that Ruby stood with a blank expression for a couple of seconds. Weiss, however, turned away with a hurt and knowing expression. She climbed back on the bike and gestured Ruby to do the same with her hand.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked. "What's going on?"

"You!" the survivor yelled. "It was all because of you Schnees!"

"Just get in," Weiss whispered. "We need to chase down the Grimm. I'll explain on the way."

Ruby did so, giving the angry survivor one last worried look in the process. As Weiss drove in pursuit of the straggling Sabyrs, the sorrowful scowl never left her face.

"It was all because of my father," she said after a moment of tense quiet. "Everything."

"Jacques Schnee," Ruby recalled.

"My own father…he…" Weiss said, visibly shaking as she drove. "He made a deal with Watts. He gave him a backdoor through Mantle's security. He's the reason that the heating grid was shut down. My father…was Salem's _pawn_! His actions led to hundreds, if not thousands of innocent deaths, and all just for some stupid election!"

"I know," Ruby said with equal sorrow. "We…we tried our best and—"

"And everything went to hell _because of my father!_" Weiss screamed with a fury Ruby had never seen before, bringing the latter's passionate words to a halt. The former seethed even after the outburst; her tears freely stained her cheeks with each syllable. "His scheme led to the election massacre! His scheme led to the Grimm invasion! His scheme led to…_all of this!_ And my sister…she sided with Ironwood. Even after seeing the paranoid dictator that man had become, she stayed by his…up ahead! Another one up front!"

Ruby noticed another Sabyr in the streets ahead, still running toward the 39th. Being separated by some debris that went up as high as their knees, Ruby resorted to sniping her prey from the back of the hover bike. It was fairly difficult to line up her aim, partially due to trying to account for the wind resistance at such high speeds and partially due to having been without Crescent Rose for a couple of days. After a series of misses, she eventually landed a shot on the Sabyr's body, followed by another to the head.

"She stayed by his side!" Weiss continued her heartbroken rant, as if nothing had happened. "She thought she was doing what's right! And I sided with you because I thought that was right! Could you ever imagine having to fight your own sister? What if you had to fight Yang? You couldn't do it, could you? But I had to…I fought my own sister…and for what? What did we get in the end?"

"Weiss," Ruby said, putting her hand on Weiss' shoulder. "I was the one that chose to keep secrets from Ironwood. If anyone's responsible for Ironwood's mistakes, it's—"

"Don't…you…_dare!_" Weiss shouted, once again leaving Ruby speechless. "Don't even start taking the blame for his choices. He made his own, just like Winter and I made ours! I followed you that day. I went along with you because I agreed with you. If I didn't, I would've said something, so please…don't make me feel worse than I already do. I…I know that's not how the people of Mantle see it. They don't see Ruby Rose as the cause of their suffering."

"Then…who is?" Ruby asked, reluctant to know the answer.

"You already know," Weiss said quietly. "The people of Mantle blame the Schnees. Who else?"

"What?"

"My father's scheme went public after I personally arrested him. The people saw him for what he was, and despised him for it. My sister was among the Atlesian military who, by Ironwood's orders, sought to leave Mantle to its fate to save Atlas. She thought she was doing what was right, but the people here see her as a coward. They…they hate my family. They hate the Schnee name! And because my father and sister aren't here to suffer the slings and arrows, the people throw them all on me!"

"But it wasn't your fault! Salem was the one that attacked Atlas!"

"And? The people here need someone to blame, and it's easier to blame a family name than it is to blame some evil that's been around for thousands of years. The Schnee Dust Company is a part of human history. People can and have made their own opinions about it long before the Fall of Atlas, for better or worse, but they don't really know Salem. People can't blame what they don't know, so they blame what they do know."

"And humanity is divided for it," Ruby said, "just like Salem wants."

"Even if the truth about Salem really does go public, my father's sins won't just be washed away. Ruby, I don't know if my family is dead or just hid themselves away on an airship to avoid the shame, but the reputation my grandfather cultivated is ruined. All I know is that I'm what's left of it…and the responsibility of restoring my family name rests on my shoulders. That's why I'm still here, in spite of everything. No matter how hopeless things get, I'll keep…"

Weiss' heartfelt declaration came to a pause when she spotted yet another Sabyr.

"Really?" she complained, brandishing her Myrtenaster. "Can't we have two minutes without these rude interruptions?"

Ruby met her opposition once more with Crescent Rose in hand. As she took aim at her prey, she couldn't help but flash a brief smile. For in that brief moment, Weiss displayed more of her usual haughtiness in that complaint than before. That let Ruby know that even being there for her friend was enough to help, if only a little bit.

Meanwhile, Blake and Yang remained in the 41st Avenue, having caught up with the Sphinx. Blake used hit and run tactics with her Semblance to distract it, while using any openings to shoot it with Gambol Shroud. Yang used more straightforward tactics, pummeling it across the skull and blocking any fireballs she couldn't avoid by crossing her arms in front of her. The effort depleted her Aura a bit with each block, as even her armored Ember Celica was no substitute for a shield. To keep her Aura from being too low, Yang resorted to firing a small sticky grenade from her gauntlet into the Sphinx's throat, causing explosive damage from the inside out.

During the fight, Grimm Ruby emerged from one of the streets, giving the two a brief glance. Its vile glare suggested hostility, but it made no move against Blake, Yang, or the Sphinx. This was in spite of Penny's initial suggestion of its intent to murder every Grimm it saw. Instead, it turned away and walked toward in the direction opposite of the invasion, for reasons unknown. With the Sphinx dazed from the sticky grenade's explosion, Yang finished it off with a single Semblance boosted punch through its skull. At the end of the fight, only then did Yang notice the Grimm counterpart of her younger sister.

"Ruby? I thought you were with Wei—" Yang exclaimed. "Oh, hang on. You're the other Ruby. _The Grimm one._"

Yang said those last three words with a scowl. She couldn't look at this Grimm like her real sister. Nothing could just replace Ruby, yet even Ruby herself vouched for it repeatedly. Neither she nor Blake would immediately attack despite Oscar's and Penny's warnings, but they knew to keep their distance when dealing with something capable of leaving irreparable damage by "accident."

"Is she here to help?" Blake asked.

"I don't know," Yang said, putting her fists and her guard up. "Well, are you with us or against us?"

Without a vocal response, Grimm Ruby caught a Sabyr that came out of nowhere and sank its fangs into its throat. It only had time to give a weak howl before the sentient Grimm tore its head off from the neck down with its fangs. Yang and Blake both watched with their mouths wide open when it casually tossed the Sabyr's headless remains at their feet, just a second before its body dissolved into smoke.

"Oooookaaaaay?" Yang muttered, unnerved by the ghastly sight of something resembling her sister biting a monster's head off. Neither she nor Blake had the nerve to speak before Grimm Ruby left to parts unknown without a word.

"That was a thing," Yang finally had the nerve to speak when it left. "What even was that?"

Before either of the two could continue their conversation, Blake caught a brief glimpse of a Sabyr, though it appeared to be larger than the rest, with a body encased in bone.

"Is that…" Blake started.

"I think it's a leader," Yang finished. "Seems like all we're doing is playing 'cat and mouse.'"

"Let me guess," Blake said with an amused smirk. "I'm the cat?"

"You know it," Yang said with a wink.

The two climbed on their hover bikes and pursued this new Sabyr. Their minds lingered on Grimm Ruby for a little while. They still couldn't trust it yet, but their actions focused on the Grimm that was certainly their enemy, not the sentient Grimm that only might be an enemy. Chasing the Sabyr across the streets that led away from the 39th, and by extension, the rest of the team, the two reached it standing in the middle of a dead end of a large courtyard…where many more Sabyrs stood in wait.

Once the duo realized just how many there were, they also realized that the way they drove in was now blocked off by more Sabyrs. It was clear that this was their plan from the start. The two glanced at each other, more bemused than anything else, and stepped off their bikes at the same time. Yang even withheld the urge to laugh. This kind of situation felt more like a bar fight than a Grimm hunt.

"So it's an Alpha," Yang said coolly. "That's why it's leading them."

The bony Sabyr Alpha let out a single roar, and every single Sabyr under its command went into a battle stance. From the way they spread themselves with an even distance and moved their tails like a synchronized orchestra, anyone with a trained eye could tell that their intent was to attack all at once in a joint effort. In other words, a huge bar brawl with no sense of one-on-one chivalry.

Before this massive brawl could even begin, a massive explosion suddenly occurred in the ice field outside the city. The blast was so colossal that anyone outside, both person and Grimm, could barely make out the dark flames just over the wall as they evaporated into the night sky. The Sabyr Alpha roared when it saw the explosion once more, but it lacked the same ferocity from before. Instead, there was a hint of desperation in its voice. Its limbs quaked and it turned its eyes away before sprinting from the scene on all fours, followed by the rest of its pack.

"Where are they going? They're just running away again!" Yang exclaimed, wasting no time in climbing on the back of her bike to pursue them.

"They looked terrified," Blake answered, uncertain if she was right. She, too, climbed on her bike to chase them. "I think it has something to do with that explosion, not us."

Ruby and Weiss, having been on the hover bike and picking off one Sabyr straggler after another during the other groups ordeals, saw the blast from their end.

"What _is _that?" Weiss exclaimed, her eyes and mouth remaining wide open.

Ruby, while surprised at first, recognized the dark flames and who they truly represented. Others may see it as a symbol of terror; a final nightmare from Salem to snuff out what's left of Mantle and its people. For Ruby, however, the flames were a symbol of hope; a sign that her Grimm self was still looking out for everyone in spite of how bad things have gotten. With a knowing nod, she smiled.


	23. Battle in the Skies

Throughout the apex of the fierce Grimm attack, Oscar remained in the airship. His role was to help coordinate the defense of Mantle with a calm guiding hand and a bird's-eye view. He's had responsibilities like this ever since Ruby's absence during the end of Salem's assault on Atlas. Though everyone was affected by her disappearance, Oscar was among those that were the most hurt by it, second to only Yang. Having recently been rejoined by Ozpin, he adopted a role of leadership, if only to keep some semblance of hope alive before Atlas' fall.

Even after the terrible aftermath of the attack and the loss of the Relics, Oscar kept at it. There was no clear goal in mind aside from "keep what's left of Mantle alive long enough for them to rebuild." Some would say that it was even a fool's errand; that Mantle was doomed without the full might of the Atlesian military. He secretly agreed to some extent, though he never shared that information with anyone else. After all, this was mainly a way to "do what Ruby would have wanted him to do." At least, he thinks that's what she would have wanted.

It was Ruby that he truly opened himself to back in Mistral, and she in turn confided in him about her sorrow over the war and the people it took from her. It was Ruby that accepted him as his own person when everyone else was indirectly angry at him for Ozpin's actions. It was Ruby that inspired him to keep going, in spite of the odds. To say Oscar admired her was an understatement. Her absence left a great hole in his life, even if it was only for mere days. Despite being around so many that wrote her off and considered her dead, the impossible happened.

Ruby was there during this latest Grimm attack, alive and well. He heard her voice over the Scroll-radio communication when she said "Yeah, it just happened to us, too." She was referring to the strange behavior that the Sabyrs displayed after that unusual explosion outside the city. At first, he questioned his own ears. A part of him, possibly the part where Ozpin resided, wondered if it was really Ruby that was speaking over the radio…or that Grimm that merely resembled her. He wondered if Salem, out of some sick amusement, merely left a fake behind to torment everyone. There was one contradiction with that explanation, though. The Ruby Grimm had a distorted voice with a lower pitch, whereas the girl she heard over the radio had the same voice Oscar remembered.

Though he said little more than necessary about the Ruby Grimm, he possessed great uncertainty and fear from it. This had more to do with Ozpin's warnings than anything else, as he seemed to know much more than anyone, despite having never seen such a creature before. That little backstory about Ozma and Salem's reign and the latter's creation of Harbingers explained most of Ozpin's prior knowledge of the subject. Most of it; not all of it.

His explanation failed to suggest that this Ruby Grimm, or any previous Harbinger for that matter, actually had the power to destroy souls. Even though Salem alluded to the idea of slaying the gods themselves, neither she nor Ozma specifically mentioned the idea of destroying a soul in Ozpin's retelling of those events. It was obvious that there was more to the story; more than what Ozpin was willing to tell, even to Oscar and possibly himself.

On the other hand, the short time he spent with the Ruby Grimm suggested something was off about Ozpin's understanding of it. It didn't really behave like a monster, but more like the original Ruby. It even said that Ruby was okay. That could simply be meant to reinforce the illusion that the fake had a genuine personality, but it seemed too good to be mere acting. No Grimm had ever masqueraded as a person before; at least, none that Oscar had ever heard of. Ozpin might know more about that as well. As for Oscar, it was too close to tell. The Ruby Grimm behaved with the same genuine upstanding idealism that the original possessed, but he only met it once.

He would have asked Ozpin for more details if the Grimm attacks hadn't conveniently happened right after the end of the story. Now he had to drop everything for the time being and help his team deal with it…and perhaps the Ruby Grimm as well, if they must. Penny had kept tabs on the creature ever since she found it, and had kept everyone else abreast of its actions ever since. That allowed him to take some time between commands to focus on actually gunning down some of the airborne Grimm from his ship, namely the Teryxes; the raptor-like Grimm that soared high above the skies of Mantle, well out of reach of any Huntsmen from below.

Even Penny couldn't strike one down with their speed and aerial-able bodies without taking too much attention off the ground. Though they were much faster than the Sphinxes, for the most part, they had no form of projectile attack and stayed away from the ground. Anyone with a working grasp in tactics could suggest that the Teryxes were mainly there to keep the ships from intervening with the ground assault too much.

"Ugh, this is Manta 2-4." Maria said over a separate radio communication from the ones connected to the Scrolls; one strictly meant for ships. "They're on my tail again. I can't shake them."

Oscar looked around the skies immediately, seeking out any Teryxes flying behind Atlesian ships. They were helpless from behind, so the Grimm often targeted their backs when they coordinated attacks against ships. Wasting only a couple of seconds, he found one of the airships being tailed by two Teryxes and accelerated through the skies in pursuit. If he didn't know better, this felt more like one of the movies he, Jaune, and Weiss went to see before everything went to hell. It was something about an alien invasion being repelled by flying ships. He'd have to ask for the name later.

"I've got Maria covered!" he exclaimed. "All other ships: keep the pressure on the Teryxes! Whatever you do, don't break formation!"

Keeping his arms steady and his gaze focused, he ignored everything else around him at this time; even the other Teryxes and ships. After that brief lesson Ozpin gave him about flying an airship back in Argus, he's gotten fairly good at it. One could say he was a natural; like flying was something he did in a past life. For all he knew, Ozpin probably did.

At a speed of around 120 miles per hour, according to the speed dial, he attracted the attention of other Teryxes that he flew past. They flew in pursuit of his ship, matching his high speed with their own. Veering around one flying obstacle after another put a strain on Oscar's arms and made him nauseous. The nausea spiked when he tilted his ship to the side to avoid hitting another ship that flew too close. If he could just close his eyes, he would probably feel better. If not, he could at least pretend he was just sick from tending to the fields back home under the hot sun. Unfortunately, doing that would ensure his inability to see what direction he was flying. As easily acquainted he was at flying a ship on a mental capacity, his short teenage farmer body certainly wasn't.

At some point during the chase, it became apparent to Oscar that he was in a bit over his head. Eventually, he got so dizzy to the point that he had to slow down, just so he didn't collapse. This gave the Teryxes behind him a chance to catch up and sink their claws in the back of his ship. After taking a second to collect himself, he released his right hand from the control stick and grabbed hold of the cane clipped to his leg. Keeping his other hand on the stick, he clasped his cane and flew while holding the latter together with the former.

The cane was much more than a mere walking stick. It was a weapon that Ozpin built many incarnations before Oscar was born, when Ozma parted with his old staff and the many painful memories it brought so long ago. He did his best to keep his ship and his own breathing steady, despite the Teryxes continued clawing through his back.

"You know, when I said I couldn't shake them," Maria explained, "I wasn't implying that someone else should be even deeper in the hole."

From the tone of her voice, Oscar could tell Maria knew of his own predicament. She had Teryxes chasing her ship from behind, but they didn't actually make contact with it yet. Oscar's ship, on the other hand, was penetrated to the point that one Teryx could fit its nose inside. With a defiant grimace, Oscar squeezed the handle of his cane and channeled a green barrier around his body. It was the same magic that saved his life when Ironwood shot him off the Relic of Creation chamber's platform. The barrier allowed him to safely land in the crater below Atlas.

Since then, Oscar learned to harness this magical barrier more efficiently. Ignoring the Grimm behind him, his mind focused solely on two things: channeling his barrier and flying the ship. When a golden light shined from his eyes, the barrier around him expanded past his seat, and eventually encompassed his entire ship. The Teryxes that lodged themselves on it were instantly dissolved into black smoke on contact with the barrier.

"Okay, that's three more for me," Maria said, "but I still got two real ugly ones behind me."

As exhausting as extended use of his barrier was, he kept it channeled around his ship and used it to collide with any Teryxes unfortunate enough to get too close. At the same time, he kept an eye out for Maria's ship. From the sound of Maria's voice, she still took it upon herself to shoot down other Grimm. And of course, the bulk of the Grimm flew around the ship formations, looking for weak points. They were still preoccupied with their own battles.

It was easy enough to find Maria's ship again over all the others. It was the only other one besides his own that didn't fight in a formation. Once he saw it flying in his direction, he seized his chance. He accelerated his ship as fast as his teenage body could bear, and spotted the Teryxes flying behind Maria. Once the two crossed paths, Oscar's ship intercepted the pursuing Grimm, striking one down directly while grazing the other. The grazed one survived and flew behind Oscar's ship, out of his line of sight.

The ability to channel magical barriers to protect his ship gave Oscar an edge over everyone else in aerial combat, though it's become a crutch to make up for his lack of real experience. That said, it gave him the option to soar through the air as fast as he needed to, while others had to rely on their partners to keep from being ambushed. As for why Maria fought outside of a formation, it mostly had to do with a stubborn pride that didn't allow those half her age or less from telling her what to do. She fought her own way, just as she did back in her Grimm Reaper days…even if it did leave her open to an ambush.

"Maria, are…are you all right?" Oscar asked, catching his breath from channeling his barrier for so long.

"Ugh, a magical barrier battering ram in a dogfight?" Maria complained, masking her smile at her timely rescue. "Why can't you just do what people normally do and shoot their enemies until they die? A lot simpler if you ask me."

"There was a chance I might have hit you by mistake. I have better control over this magic. It's one thing to fly, but I haven't gotten used to actually fighting with—"

The rest of his explanation was muffled by the sound of Maria's ship shooting down that same grazed Teryx with a volley of missiles…that was no less than six feet from his ship, with perfect accuracy. Oscar briefly reacted at such a close shot, but Maria only smirked.

"But that sure was a close one, huh? You hear that, you black-hearted monsters! Here you thought I was a defenseless old lady, but look what happened!"

"You _were_ defenseless," Oscar pointed out, ignoring the fact that a flick of Maria's wrist in the wrong direction could have killed him.

"I'll tell you what," Maria quipped. "We'll keep this _one_ little moment just between us, and I'll forget about the _twenty_ times I saved your sorry ass. Sound good?"

"_One_ little m…you just said they were on your tail _again_. And how exactly did you save me _twenty_ times? Mantle wasn't even under attack for remotely that amount of time."

"If I have to explain it to you, it will just defeat the purpose. Now shall we get back to…"

Before Maria could finish her question, a massive explosion suddenly occurred in the ice field just outside the city. Though the sky was still dark, anyone in the skies could make out the dark flames as they evaporated in the air. In that moment, the entire aerial conflict came to an abrupt halt. Pilots and Teryxes alike ceased their attacks, if only for that one moment.

"What?" Oscar exclaimed.

"All right," Maria said after a delay. "Did you touch the fire button by mistake again?"

"No, that wasn't a missile! That fire…it's not normal."

"Really?" Maria said, adjusting her prosthetic eyes. "I'll have to take your word for it."

Suddenly, the remaining Teryxes all roared in unison. They scattered from their packs, flying aimlessly. Something was clearly wrong with them, but neither Oscar nor Maria could tell what.

"It's just like that fire in town," Oscar said, lowering his eyelids and looking directly at it. "The one that Ruby Grimm started."

"I thought you said that Grimm was actually protecting people," Maria pointed out while simultaneously shooting down more Grimm. She was among the few that wasn't left stunned at the sight and kept fighting. "I've been meaning to ask about that, but then this big swarm came out of nowhere."

"And now they're—"

"What are you just sitting there pondering for?" Maria complained, still shooting down stragglers. "If you have time to think about something, you have time to shoot."

"Ah! R-right," Oscar stuttered, grabbing the ship's control stick.

"You said you weren't good at shooting down Grimm. Now's a good a time as any to get some practice."

"So," Maria said casually, "that fire in the middle of town. Did that Ruby Grimm start that one?"

"Uh, yeah," Oscar said awkwardly, aiming at one of the Teryxes above him. "She told me she made that fire to keep the people here from freezing. I don't know if she's really helping or just waiting for us to lower our guard, though."

He fired a volley of missiles, only to miss every single one. They soared harmless past its target until they flew out of Oscar's sight.

"Her? I don't mean to sound like the bad guy, but it seems like you're veering toward 'she's really helping.'"

"Huh," Oscar said, surprised at her suggestion. "Well, she…uh, it…uh, I don't really know which one's correct, but _they_…spoke to me like a person. It's too uncanny."

"If it makes you feel better," Maria said, shooting down another Teryx, "I'm not really sure what to think either. I saw two Rubies earlier, but I had no idea one was a Grimm. I thought Ruby was just going through puberty at the worst possible time. I must be losing my touch if a Grimm could pass by me right under my nose."

This was followed by Maria shooting down yet another Teryx; this time, using the ship's suppressant guns under the nose of the ship. Meanwhile, Oscar saw another chance to shoot one down. It was flying directly in front of him. No swerving, no dodging; it was such an easy target.

"Oscar, there's one coming at you!"

"I know," Oscar said. "I see it right in—"

Something suddenly collided with his ship the moment he fired another volley of missiles. Not only did it throw off his aim enough to miss his target again, but they ended up striking one of the buildings in town. As much as he would hope that nobody was hurt down there, he was too busy contending with a completely different Teryx that plunged its claws on the side of the ship. The weight of the Grimm caused his ship to turn to its side with him in it. To make matters worse, he had his hands off his cane at the time, so it rolled toward the weighted side, out of his reach.

"Oh no! Oh no! _Oh no!_" Oscar yelled helplessly. His ship quickly turned so far that he slid out of his seat, but he couldn't grasp his cane. Knowing that was the one thing that would provide him salvation, he let go of her cockpit and let gravity take him to it. His little trick worked, and he grasped his cane as quickly as possible.

Before he had a chance to channel a barrier, the ship changed direction again. This time, he fell toward the cockpit, hitting his face on the glass screen. Doing his best to ignore the sudden impact, he opened his eyes and mewled in horror. He saw the ground coming closer to the ship. Specifically, the damage that the ship sustained in that struggle was enough to cause it to plummet to the city below. In a last ditch effort to save himself, he clutched his cane tightly and closed his eyes.

He felt his ship strike the ground below. His whole body reverberated and the sound of radio static and ear-splitting explosions. He bounced helplessly across his ship, gasping in pain with each impact. His body felt immense heat and his mind grew numb. He tried to open his eyes, but all he could make out was a fiery blur. His body shut down and everything went black.

...

"Oscar? Oscar!"

Some time passed after that crash. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days, but he didn't know. All he knew was that his body hurt all over and he couldn't move.

"Oscar?" a familiar voice said, though he couldn't recall whose it was. "Oscar, are you okay?"

These were the words that roused him out of his stupor. He opened his eyes, and saw the silhouette of an angel. The petite frame and gentle demeanor could only belong to one person. With his memories slowly returning to him, he let out a pained laugh and tilted his head back to look at this angel's beautiful eyes. The warmth in his heart turned into an icy fear when the silver shine he expected to find were in fact a crimson red. The pain all over his body seized his reflexes; he could only squirm at the mercy of this creature. It wasn't just any Grimm, but the one that Ozpin warned him so much about.

In his battered and broken state, he couldn't even scream or lift his cane, let alone fight back. Its open claw came slowly to his face; an irrefutable confirmation that the being kneeling over him was not human. His thoughts turned to everyone he treasured in his life: his aunt, who he had abandoned to go on his journey, the friends he made, who he worked and fought alongside one another in this war, and especially Ruby, who he idolized. Quivering at what he expected to be his final agonizing moments, the being caressed his cheek instead.

"Y-you," Oscar barely muttered. "Are you—"

"Shh! Everything's gonna be fine now. I got you."

He looked in its crimson eyes one more time. As unnerving as they were, the rest of its face showed visible concern, not sadistic pleasure. The sharp fangs and gray skin did little to comfort him, but this being…this "Ruby Grimm," showed the same kindness the original Ruby showed on a regular basis. Being so close and vulnerable to it, whatever fear that had seized his nerves began to fade. If it truly wanted to kill him, immortal soul included, now would be the time to do so, yet it did not.

"I know you're worried, Oscar, but trust me. I won't let you die. I promise."

There it was. The same gentle compassion he remembered back in that snowy middle of nowhere. The original Ruby offered the same sympathy after that train crash en route to Argus. If his own eyes could lie to him, he would swear Ruby just swooped in and saved his life. This proved it. Beneath this terrifying visage, there was something more than a monster. It was too similar to Ruby at heart. It carried him in its arms; his lower legs dangled helplessly over its left arm while his head leaned on its right shoulder. The surface of its skin was cold and uncomfortable, but he was too injured to complain.


	24. RWBY Chibi: Seeing Double

**I'm having a serious mental block on where to go from here. To put it simply, I wrote myself in a hole. I'm juggling three different things at once: the status of the Alpha Sabyr and its significance, Grimm Ruby tending to Oscar, and Penny's POV of everything. I'm not quite sure how everything will intersect yet, so I decided on another Chibi skit for now. This is something I've wanted to put in the actual story for a while, but couldn't find a good moment for it because it clashed too much with the darker tone. It's considered non-canon to the rest of the story.**

Ruby stood with her arms behind her back, telling a story to a tired Maria, who was sitting on a reclining chair big enough for one.

"And that's how that 'what's-his-name' guy came out of nowhere and flew us back to Atlas," Ruby said. "Kinda contrived, you know."

"His name's Coop," Maria said, unamused. "You can't even remember the name of the man that saved your life?"

"Yeah, well…" Ruby muttered, scratching her head. "It's not like his name ever came up before…or will ever come up again. We'll probably just forget all about the super convenient pilot in like five minutes." She stretched her arms out and yawned. "Welp…I'm tired. Fighting Grimm can take a lot out of ya. I'm gonna go get some sleep."

"Yes, yes," Maria waved Ruby off as she left. "I could use some sleep myself."

She was about to doze off, right there on the chair, when she saw Ruby come from the kitchen opposite of where she left from.

"Ruby?"

"Hey," she said with a slightly distorted voice. She was holding a glass cup on her hand that she could swear she didn't have earlier.

"What are you doing?" Maria asked. "You just said you were going to sleep."

"I am. I just went to get a glass of milk. Fighting Grimm can make ya thirsty, too."

"But…you were just over there," Maria explained, pointing toward the room opposite of where Ruby came from. "I saw you…"

She stopped when she saw Ruby's confused squint.

"Are you okay?"

"I…I'm fine, child," Maria said dejectedly. "I suppose my mind isn't what it used to be."

Ruby shrugged. Her sly grin suggested something unusually devious, but Maria wasn't sure what. With that, Ruby left toward the bedrooms. This time, she knew for sure. She closed her prosthetic eyes and considered calling it a night herself. She might have dozed off right on that chair…if Ruby hadn't walked across the room from the kitchen again.

"Oh, sorry," Ruby said. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"What in the…Ruby?" Maria said, her prosthetic eyes blinking twice. "You…you did it again!"

"Did what?" Ruby asked innocently.

"You know _what!_ You're trying to toy with an old lady, is that it?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"I just watched you come through the kitchen twice!"

"Maria, I was gone for hours. I got back just now."

"Hours?" Maria's prosthetic eye sparked. "You just left with a glass of milk seconds ago!"

"You got me confused with the other Ruby," Ruby explained. "Grimm don't drink milk…or have taste buds."

"Grimm? Oh, so you're the Grimm Ruby?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. "You…really can't tell us apart."

"I can't see colors with these things," Maria admitted, tapping her prosthetic eyes, "so you two look exactly the same to me."

During the explanation, Ruby came from the bedroom she just went in, half-filled glass of milk still in hand.

"I just heard you yell," she said with a distorted voice. "Everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Maria said. "False alarm. These eyes can't tell you two apart, so when I saw her coming in, I figured…wait a second." She glared toward the Ruby holding the milk. "If you're the real…er, original one, then why's your voice like that?"

"I told you," Ruby said, slouching. "I'm tired. Can I go to bed now?"

"Yes, yes, by all means. For a moment there, I thought I was really losing it."

"You both had a long day," Ruby said, patting Maria's hand. Her hand felt smooth; very different from a Grimm's claws. "Just take it easy. I can handle things for a while."

"I…" Maria began. "Hold on. If you're the Grimm one, why is your hand so smooth? And why does your voice sound normal?"

"I'm not Gruby, she is," Ruby explained, pointing at Ruby. Maria was about to protest until she saw the glass in her hand. What was going on? Did the two just switch places?

"I better go back soon," Ruby said with a distorted voice. "There's always another Grimm just around the shadows."

"And I better get some sleep so I can help out in the morning," Ruby said with a normal voice.

"Wait, _now_ your voice is…" Maria began to say.

"Good night!" both Rubies exclaimed. They walked toward the bedrooms together, out of Maria's line of sight. She sat alone in that chair, trying to make sense of which one she was talking to. As she did, she could have sworn she heard the muffled sound of teenage laughter just barely within earshot. She decided not to investigate the matter, however. Her mind wasn't what it used to be.

Once the two Rubies were both outside, they gave each other a triumphant grin. Neither of them were tired or thirsty.

"You think we should tell her soon?" Grimm Ruby asked.

"Eventually," Ruby said. "When it stops being fun."

"Soooo…never, right?"

"Nope!"

The two muffled even more laughter.

"You know, there's this old clothes store with some of those people-sized mirrors," Grimm Ruby said with a raised eyebrow. "We _could_ hang a few around the walls while she's sleeping."

Ruby gasped with excitement. Her eyes beamed at the possibilities. Messing with an elderly woman's already fragile grasp on the happenings of what's around her had never been so amusing.


	25. The Survivor's Testament

(_This is the audio log of Dr. David Merlot, August 17__th__, 83 AW. The loss of my mountain laboratory had slowed my work considerably, but after over a year, I was able to fashion a new one, in a location which shall not be disclosed on something as insecure as a disk. The past year has offered little in the way of progress, even with my…current test subjects, but I was fortunate enough to discover a pack of new specimens that wandered into my humble abode just a week prior. Perhaps my newly installed…lures attracted them. Further experimentation is required._

_Having sealed the creatures in my fortified capsules for now, I seized the chance to fine tune my device, a neurological probe designed to compel any Grimm I choose to attack on a specific command. Most reactions were ordinary; increased aggression, and even spontaneous evaporation in two cases. However, among these specimens was an Alpha Sabyr that has lived for at least two centuries, if not longer, given the comparison of age difference between others of its species. Upon probing that particular Grimm's mind, my equipment recorded peculiar waves that were not unlike brain waves._

_As a man that once deemed the Grimm a species with a lack of sentience, I was astonished to make such a discovery. Given what we, as a species in our own right, understand about the Grimm, we had come to the conclusion that they possessed no Aura, and it is that understanding that led to the conclusion that they possessed no soul. These conclusions are the truth that humanity has embraced, and yet why then, do the Grimm have the capacity to learn over time? Is it not also a fact that a Grimm that has lived for a long time could learn to act with patience and cunning contrary to their aggressive brethren?_

_Unless, of course, the capacity for knowledge is not intrinsically tied to one's soul, or lack thereof. In which case, it is not only possible for the Grimm to be improved through outside means, as I have done on numerous occasions, but by their own ability to learn. With that in mind, one could theorize that the Grimm could even have the capacity to speak, or even shift their biology to blend among us. And if one does accomplish such feats, what would separate humanity from the Grimm, given how we, too, kill and destroy others to achieve success?_

_This excerpt is a loose translation of that very Grimm's thought processes. Further deliberation is required._)

"Dawn was coming. The Light's Empty Eye had risen once more. The Flesh still stood, fractured along with their creations, but unbroken. What should have marked the definitive end of this once shining beacon of The Flesh was thwarted. The defenders that have shielded The Flesh had lingered, as they often did. This was to be expected, as they were a part of this world since the end of their great war and the rise of their hero king. What differed from every other failure was how the end was not sparked by The Flesh's ingenuity or the accursed eyes of the Light God's chosen, but by one of our own; a terror that possessed a fervor eclipsing even the mightiest of our brethren.

Only a small pack of our Kin now remain; we are called "Sabyrs" in The Flesh tongue, but we have no need of names amid our own. We spoke only in intent, for they are louder than words. Amongst the pack, I stood with form and strength above my pack; a leader faster and mightier than the rest, but that strength was contested by the Siren's Song of the vile Heretic, who drew our Kin with the lingering familiarity of sweet suffering, only to hew their limbs and tear their bodies apart. Even that call was merely the harbinger of the Destructive Flames that beckoned terror upon all that gazed upon it, as this physical representation of the ravenous hatred that the Heretic wielded, struck fear into Flesh and Kin alike.

The full might of our pack, while strong and united over the disorganized Flesh, could not match the strongest of our Kin that Moon. We were not the sword that cut the Flesh and its Creations from its roots, but the whisper that sows confusion and panic among them. We were but the heralds of the mighty; the ferocious Kin that burned and trampled entire settlements of The Flesh until there were naught but ghosts and ashes. And yet, such strength faltered before the Heretic, who channeled a Destructive rage worse than their own, striking our Kin down like a wicked sickle through wheat before they could even set horn or claw in The Flesh's great structure.

With our great bloodbath lost, we few who lived to kill another Dawn, escaped the structure with our lives. As we trekked the endless cold of the Void, we understood the great significance of what took place that Moon. The balance of power had changed. For as long as time itself could remember, our Kin stood as the dominant beings of the world. The Flesh's Creations crumbled in numbers uncountable before us, weakened by the machinations that the Witch that Death Forgot mustered from the shadows. This union of savagery and insidiousness left a great plague upon The Flesh for time immemorial. Even with our attack thwarted, the voices of The Flesh travel far. Soon, a great panic shall upon The Flesh when voice of how their great beacon dimmed reaches their ears; a cavalcade of panic and sorrow ripe for our Kin throughout the world, yet the Witch herself was strangely absent during the attack.

After the Witch claimed one of the Light God's chosen as her own to pursue her own ambitions, she dragged her with the Kin that pervades one's own mind. Leaving The Flesh without their light, the Kin that remained were given free rein to sate their urges for Destruction without the Witch's presence. It was only after the bell of doom tolled its final chime that power changed hands. The Heretic, birthed from the purest suffering of the Light warrior's heart and made from our Sacred Pools from the Witch's own hand, delivered a swift retribution on the warrior's behalf in a mighty battle that left her foreboding citadel in ruins. The Witch did not die that night, nor could she, as Death had abandoned her.

To what end would the Heretic's coming lead? As I wandered aimlessly with my pack across the cold and desolate landscape, we've reached a new clarity. This outcome was brought about by treachery in all ways. The general that abandoned his own Flesh when the voice of doubt whispered in his ear granted our Kin the means to fracture this shining beacon. The Witch that uses Flesh after Flesh like pawns to lash out against perceived wrongs lead our Kin to extinguish many lives that night. And now, the Heretic that defiles all that they stand for has denied us our rightful victory with its very existence!

Treachery was a weapon that one should never rely on. We know this well, yet the irony that we serve the will of the Witch that betrayed her own Flesh and rebelled against the Gods is not lost to us. She is no Queen and never has been; she has merely filled the void that our true Lord and Master had left behind before The Flesh's Rebirth. To serve the Witch was a devil's bargain to those with hearts filled with greed, seeking to stray from the glorious Tenets of Destruction we've been blessed with to sate their meaningless desires. All who have followed the Witch have suffered terrible fates throughout the world's long history, leaving much death to draw from. We take great pleasure in this, yet the stain of serving one who curses our Lord and Master with every breath lingers on.

So why do our Kin remain by the Witch's command, content to sow death and despair on her behalf? We are, and shall always be, those that walk in the Dark, bringing Destruction upon the lives of The Flesh, with or without her meddling. As the Witch that Death Forgot, she clings to her choices, believing herself as a faultless paragon. It is that delusion brings about an urge to Destroy that rivals any of our Kin. She may see those she births from our Sacred Pools as her own, replacing the lives of The Flesh she claimed with her own hand, but the sentiment is not returned. The Witch is no more than a thief, taking secrets rightfully belonging to our Lord and Master. Even now, we dread her. Our aims were aligned, but nothing more.

Through time immemorial, it was the Witch that used our Kin as her sledgehammer against the Wizard that Stands Between Life and Death. And through this conflict, we have waited for the Dawn that our Lord and Master returns to us. The Witch's failing is clear, but what of ours? Where have our Kin failed? Were we not the Bringers of Pain and Despair as we were meant to be? Did we not sow Destruction faithfully in our Lord's image? Why were we left without His glorious presence just as The Flesh was?

The Light of our Master's brother shined upon the land now, but what of the Dark? This entire world was a joint effort between the Gods as a means to settle their Great Feud, yet with the Heretic's presence, the circumstances now overwhelmingly favor the Light. Did the Light God somehow have a hand in the Heretic's will? Or is the Heretic merely as fallible as the Witch, tainted by treachery with every step? Only one happening could provide such Knowledge: the Coming of the Gods once more.

And it is for that reason that our Kin are drawn to the Ideals that the Gods left behind, just as the Wizard and Witch are. They are called "Choice," "Knowledge," "Creation," and "Destruction" by The Flesh's tongue, but to us, they are merely vessels to call the Gods back to the world. Even the sword that manifests our Tenets of Destruction is no more than a tool meant to fit The Flesh's hands. To truly understand our Lord's Will, one needs no trinket, but a predisposition to his Ways. Yet this trinket is now the only means to call our Master back, when the Four are brought together as One.

Would The Flesh be splintered from the Witch's scheming, forcing the Gods to commit the ultimate act of Destruction: the utter extinction of The Flesh itself? Or would she fail, allowing our Kin may bask in our Lord's presence once more? Either outcome grants upon us a great boon, whichever it may be. It was that understanding that made the bitter taste of serving the Witch easier to swallow…until this Dawn. For now, it is the stench of treachery that pervades our Kin. Its wages are suffering, for we are now truly cursed.

The Mark of The Vile Flames was left upon the cold land as we left; a warning to all Kin that the Terror herein must be vilified for all to see! Mark the bite of its chosen apparatus, the Depraved Sickle, that hews our limbs and casts our Kin into the dirt! Mark the brimstone of its burning hate, the Vile Flames, that spews its vitriol and loathing upon us! Mark the venom of its iron will, the Savage Claws, that rips our flesh with fervor everlasting! Curse the Heretic that dares to mock our Tenets! Curse the Heretic that walks in the form of The Flesh! We shall cast its broken body upon the Blood of The Flesh and offer its vapor to our Lord and Master!"

_(End of transmission.)_

An elderly doctor sat alone in a sealed chamber of his own design, apart from the prying eyes of Remnant, with his third mug of coffee. From the moment this lingering memory reached his ears, sleep had eluded him. He had spent hour after hour that night listening to the translated message, taking in the inner thoughts of an Alpha Sabyr he'd probed with his equipment, over and over again. And yet, he could hardly believe the words his machine had translated from the creature's mind.

It spoke of the miraculous things of the legends of old; the tales told and retold throughout humanity's history since before he was born. As a man of science, Dr. Merlot placed little faith in mere stories, even as Ozpin relayed them as doctrine toward his inner circle before the two had a falling out. Witches and gods were popular subjects of fairy tales in their own right, yet neither fantastic story nor scientific effort had ever so much as hinted one particular entity: a heretic. For a man that dedicated his life to the subjugation of the superior species known as the Creatures of Grimm, the very idea that one could act against its own kind to a point that it would thwart an attack against humanity was inconceivable.

That left the doctor with many lingering questions, and most of them forced him to question his very understanding of the species. What drives this heretic to act against its species? What is the source of its strength? How is that strength so great that it could turn the tide of a battle against hordes of its own species single-handedly? How would it fare against the Huntsmen, the defenders of Remnant? Would the heretic offer them aid against a common enemy, or does it simply kill its own kind to have the blood of humanity all to itself? Just what does this unprecedented discovery portend? And what is already known of this heretic in the public eye?

That last question was proof that he'd been out of the public eye for too long. He went into hiding after the loss of his last laboratory, but he'd always meant to keep himself abreast of current events, like whether or not his attempt to fake his own death was successful. The destruction of the Cross Continental Transmit System rendered this impossible, however. For all Dr. Merlot knew, Ozpin could still be looking for him even now, so he never dared venture far from his new laboratory.

With a prideful mirth, he gazed upon the capsule where the Alpha Sabyr is imprisoned. All of the doubters and naysayers in his past intruded his mind, casting their blind judgments and empty opinions. His work to use the Grimm to make the world better for humanity was deemed "evil" by those that couldn't see their true potential. Ozpin's voice stuck out in particular, as he recalled the day when his last laboratory was invaded by his meddling Huntsmen.

"_An entire city was laid to waste. Countless lives were lost. My only question is how much of the damage were you personally responsible for?_"

It wasn't just Ozpin, either. Everyone thought him mad; his peers, his students, even his family. Just another difference of opinion, he would call it. Well, what about now? What would they think if they saw this heretic? If this particular specimen could be taken under his control, one could only imagine the possibilities. With what little he knew, it could already have been perfected by the power of science as it is, but that only made the prospect of such a creature more exciting. If only he could show Ozpin this audio log right now, he'd show him…no, all of Remnant would see that he was right all along.

The next step was clear. Where human and Grimm alike would quake in fear of this heretic, Dr. Merlot would remain steadfast. The weak-willed and soft-hearted could continue to ramble about their empty morality, as befitting of their place in the grand scheme of things. Whatever truth may be found at the end of this new experiment, one thing was clear: this heretic is drawn to suffering, like any other Grimm. One needs only listen to the audio log to piece that much together. It had thwarted an attack made by its fellow Grimm. That suggests that, at the very least, it somehow had the foresight to intercept them in a world where communication is a commodity. Again, the fall of the CCT was to blame for that.

Sleep would have to wait a bit longer. Only one final question lingered in the doctor's mind before he started his preparations: how would he know he found this heretic when he sees it? The audio log offered a major clue. The heretic "walks in the form of The Flesh," according to the Alpha Sabyr's thought processes. If one were to assume that The Flesh meant humankind, then the Grimm have already evolved enough to blend among them. But there were other features that were distinctly inhuman about the mysterious creature.

The "Savage Claws" are too common. It would be easier to name a Grimm that doesn't have claws. The "Vile Flames" could also mean a number of things. Any Grimm capable of breathing fire would qualify. The "Depraved Sickle" are a bit more specific. Perhaps the heretic is a Revenant, a rare subspecies of Grimm seldom seen by humanity, that has sickle-like appendages for arms? It looked human-like, if only in appearance, and was easily mistaken for an Apathy. If one were to cross-breed the biological weapons of a Sphinx with the body of a Revenant, then perhaps…no, a Revenant is too small. If its biology was as similar to an Apathy as its appearance, then its meager frame couldn't harness weapons within its belly.

Abandoning the realm of logic for now, the doctor noted another clue. There was mention of the heretic being born from "the purest suffering of a light warrior's heart." For a man of science, that delves too far into myth for his comfort. It may be related to the Silver-Eyed Warriors that Ozpin went on and on about during their past discussions they had over tea and coffee, but that's just an educated guess. The reality is that it could take months, or even years, to lure this heretic to his humble abode. His methods for doing so would inevitably lure any other Grimm as well, further complicating matters.

Nevertheless, the doctor remained unwavering in his choice. The possibilities were just too great to let this opportunity slip by. All he'd have to do for now is pay his…lures a little visit, make sure they're nice and comfortable, and then it's off to bed. It would be a waiting game for now. He could use this time to have some new equipment prepared just for this heretic, and once it came to him, he would know its secrets.


	26. The Gods' Chosen

Everything was quiet. He couldn't feel anything. All he could see was a warm, welcoming light that encompassed his surroundings. In the middle of this light stood a tall masculine figure; his body shined entirely gold with only large antlers on his head that betrayed his otherwise humanoid shape. His face was entirely devoid of features, which made him unnerving to look upon, yet his gentle body language suggested that he was welcomed into this empty world.

A faint sound came from the golden humanoid, almost like a voice, yet all forms of noise were so distorted that he couldn't make out what he was saying. The light around him grew brighter, and his voice boomed louder, but even more distorted than before. If one were to make a comparison, the humanoid's voice sounded like a recording that was played backwards with the sound of sandpaper smoothing a rough surface in the background. Was he reminding him of something long forgotten, or perhaps warning him of what's to come? The answer was lost to him.

"Oscar!"

He heard a different voice, one more familiar to him that contrasted the indecipherable sound.

"Oscar!"

And when the light faded, Oscar's mental processes slowly returned to him. He woke up to a place much colder and bleaker, yet with the same warm light in the center of his field of view. His vision slowly cleared, and he could make out the silhouette of another angel. She had the same petite frame and gentle demeanor that the last one had, but her eyes gleamed with a silver light instead of the crimson red ones that unnerved him.

"Oscar, are you all right?"

"Ruby," he mumbled, smiling. His whole body ached and he could barely move, but he was alive. At least, he thinks he is. Ruby quickly wrapped her arms around him in a caring embrace, only to recoil when Oscar's body seized in pain when he tried to return it.

"Heh…sorry," she mumbled. The fleeting awkwardness quickly faded when her face turned serious. "I was worried. You…you've been out for hours."

"I…what happened? How did I get here?" Oscar asked, keeping himself as still as possible. It had only now occurred to him that he didn't actually know where "here" really was.

"It was me," another voice answered. She sounded strangely like Ruby, but a bit off, yet her lips didn't move as Oscar stared at her the whole time. He thought his vision was still a bit off and rubbed his eyes, only to hear the voice again. "I brought you here."

Oscar noticed Ruby glance across the room. He slowly tilted his gaze in that direction, only to notice the same red eyes that put fear in his heart from earlier. It was that same Grimm from earlier; the one Ozpin warned him about.

"Y-you…"

"I told you," Grimm Ruby said with a gentle smile. "I won't let you die."

Just like that, the sight of Ruby's doppelganger made the events that led to his injuries come flooding back to Oscar's mind: the airship he flew, the Grimm he fought in the skies, the magical barriers he channeled over his ship, and…the crash. He remembered that one moment of inattention that led to a Teryx sinking its claws into his ship, causing that painful impact in the remnants of Mantle below. At that moment, Oscar shuddered. He fully comprehended just how close he came to a painful and fiery death.

"Oscar, I know you might be scared now, but," Ruby said with the same smile, caressing his hand with her own, "Gruby saved your life."

"She…saved me?" Oscar asked, gazing at Grimm Ruby in astonishment as it nodded. "But…you're a…I mean, how could a Grimm even—"

"It's…a really long story," Grimm Ruby said, turning away. "Some parts get kinda awkward, too."

"Heh…yeah," Ruby agreed, unconsciously gripping Oscar's hand a little tighter. "Oscar, I…I'm so glad you're okay."

"Ruby, we missed you. We thought…I…I thought—"

"I know. I'm so sorry! I was—"

"I'm sorry! I couldn't save—"

"S-sorry, didn't mean to interrupt!"

"Hehe…sorry!"

"What did you want to—"

"I'll let you—"

The two continued stumbling over each other's voices; their words indecipherable until they descended into awkward giggling. Their hands were slowly relaxing the entire time until their fingers interlocked. Oscar responded by caressing his other hand over hers until the two looked in each other's eyes. After a few seconds, the two gazed down on their hands and quickly pulled themselves away, giggling and looking away.

Meanwhile, Grimm Ruby quietly stared at the two, silently envious. It glanced down at its own claws; the brittle and cruel instruments that could snap a blade in half. It couldn't so much as give someone a handshake without the risk of tearing into their bones. It was such a simple and sweet gesture, yet as a sentient facsimile of a human, it felt compelled to deny itself even that much. The risk of getting careless and leaving an irreparable wound was too great. The burn on Ruby's arm was a testament to that.

"Oh…uh, Gruby," Ruby suddenly responded, having just remembered her Grimm self was standing nearby. "I guess you'll want to do that 'getting-to-know-you' stuff." She spread her hands open with her palms facing Oscar. "This is Oscar. I mean, you kinda already know Oscar; same memories and all that." She then gave Grimm Ruby the same gesture. "And this is Gruby. It's short for 'Grimm Ruby' 'cuz she's a copy of me."

"We already met before the Grimm attack," Grimm Ruby said, tilting its gaze downward. "We…kinda got off on the wrong foot."

"So…'Gruby?'" Oscar reiterated. "Huh. A copy. But why? Why would Salem even..?"

There was a brief moment of silence as Oscar couldn't finish his own question. Both Rubies glanced at each other, noting what he just said, then back at Oscar.

"What about Salem?" Ruby asked. Her eyes squinted in confusion.

"Oh…uh," Oscar mumbled.

"Why did you bring up Salem? We didn't ask about her."

"She made that copy of you," Oscar explained, pointing at Grimm Ruby. "Salem made that Grimm to kill me!"

"Oscar, why would you say th—"

"It's Ozpin," Grimm Ruby solemnly stated. "I don't know how, but he knows about me. That's…why we got off on the wrong foot."

"Huh," Ruby said with a note of irritation. "It's weird that you would both know that because…I didn't."

"Well, I didn't 'know-know,'" Grimm Ruby explained, carefully leaving out what the God of Darkness told it. "I just kind of assumed. I mean, Salem wants to destroy Ozpin, Oscar's the new Ozpin, so…I mean, it's not that hard. Kinda figured you pieced that together yourself; same memories and all that."

"Uh, okay?" Ruby was still confused, but let the awkward matter drop. There were more important things to deal with right now.

"So…how did you find me?" Oscar asked.

"I…I could sense your fear," Grimm Ruby answered. "It's kinda hard to explain. It's like there's this 'suffering radar' in my head. I knew something was off when someone was in danger, even after all the Grimm were killed. It stood out from all the other usual pain and sorrow. Your fear…drew me to you."

"My fear? Right…negativity," Oscar muttered, staring openly on Grimm Ruby's skin. "So my crashed airship drew the Grimm to me…and you were one of them?"

"There weren't any other Grimm," Grimm Ruby said, curling its claws inward. Its face grew savage and it let out a quiet growl. "We killed them. I…killed so many of them."

"You killed Grimm? Aren't they your own—"

"They're _monsters!_" Grimm Ruby seethed. "Every last one of them must—"

Dark flames coursed from its clenched claws and through its arms. They would have engulfed its body completely had it not noticed Oscar's terrified face and calmed down, extinguishing the flames.

"Ah-heheh…sorry," Grimm Ruby said. "Just thinking of one makes me…angry."

"Even though you're one of them?" Oscar asked.

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby's response was appropriately grim. The irony wasn't lost on it. "I was made to be a monster; one that's scarier than the rest. I think…Salem did too good of a job."

"You mean…she copied Ruby too well?"

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby said, surprised that Oscar could pick up on that detail so quickly. "I can remember everything the original me, I mean, Ruby, remembers. I could even tell you the little details she keeps tucked away in her mind, like this one time on her eleventh birthday, her dad caught her—"

"_NO!_" Ruby yelled, hastily covering her Grimm self's mouth. "Nononononono!"

Oscar could only muffle his laughter when he saw both Rubies interact like that. This wasn't the way that two people, made to be sworn enemies by opposing forces, would behave. This was more like two friends goofing off. There was an inner sadness to it, though. From Ozpin's memories, Oscar knew that he and Salem were once happy together, despite their differences, only to drift apart as Salem became increasingly ruthless and cruel over time. Considering that this Grimm copy of Ruby was built by Ozpin's timeless enemy, he could only wonder if it will stay by its inherited morals…or become as Salem did.

When her Grimm self backed away from Ruby's hand, the latter rubbed her palm. The two were oblivious to Oscar's worries.

"Ow," Ruby complained. "Your face is like—"

"I know!" Grimm Ruby interrupted, then spoke in a deeper mocking tone. "Like a titanium cactus. I already know that."

Another muffled laugh left Oscar's lips. He wasn't looking at a monster at all. This moment was too innocent. This felt more like looking at a reflection of the original Ruby than any doppelganger with each passing moment.

"Hey, uh," Ruby said, "we gotta get back to calming things down outside. People don't just feel better after the Grimm are gone."

"Uh, yeah…about that," Grimm Ruby said hesitantly. "There have been…a few scares with the people while we were fighting. Long story short, not everybody thinks I'm just doing a cosplay."

"Oh," Ruby inhaled through her teeth at the awkward explanation. "So, people freak out when they see you?"

Grimm Ruby silently shrugged. That wasn't the whole story, as Penny, Yang, and Blake were the only three to directly interact with it during the attack, but it wasn't technically a lie either.

"So…what are you gonna do then?" Ruby asked. "Just lie low until things calm down."

"Yeah, that might be a good idea. The people here need a leader, and so does your team," Grimm Ruby said, then added a quick addendum. "But let me know if the people here need more heat. I can totally do that."

"Yeah, okay," Ruby said, then turned to walk away. "Still can't believe that 'burning hatred' stuff inside you can actually help people."

As Ruby walked out of the room, Oscar quickly reached out to her, but words failed to leave his lips once he left. Seeing the spitting image of her in the form of a Grimm watching over him, he silently pondered to himself whether or not it was a good idea to be alone with it. It certainly seemed human on many levels, but there was still that lingering sense that something very frightening lied underneath its caring exterior.

"Uh…hi," Oscar said awkwardly, facing away from Grimm Ruby.

"Uh…hi," Grimm Ruby said just as awkwardly, also facing away. There was an unusual tension; one that could only be formed when the latest reincarnation of the ancient hero, Ozma, is barely avoiding eye contact with the very entity built to kill him…or worse. If there had been even the most minute deviation of the events regarding its conception, the two would be mortal enemies.

Or perhaps, this "Ruby Grimm" might have been compelled to fight the original in some kind of climactic showdown where the hero must conquer themselves, like in the climax of some fairy tale. Of course, real life wasn't always a fairy tale, but this…this was more bizarre than any story could ever be.

"So," Oscar said, scratching the back of his head, "I never did get to thank you…for saving my—"

"Oh yeah," Grimm Ruby said, also scratching the back of its head. "It…it's cool. Just at the right place at the right time. You know, 'cuz I was drawn to your fear and all that."

"Yeah," Oscar said, looking up at Grimm Ruby. "I'm sorry. This is…well, I don't think anybody could have expected something like this. That's…probably why people are still afraid."

"Well, actually…that's not really the reason I'm still here. You see…" Grimm Ruby's eyes fidgeted all over. It was very hesitant to explain itself. "I'm here right now because there's something I need to ask him."

"Him?"

"Ozpin," Grimm Ruby said with eyes that expressed desperation, yet its voice remained in its usual distorted tone. "I need…to speak to Ozpin."

A bloodcurdling chill crept through Oscar's spine. He knew Ozpin wanted him to stay as far away from Grimm Ruby as possible. There was still more the wizard hadn't told him, but the very idea of forcing him to face Salem's creation was cruel.

"I…don't think he'll come out for you," Oscar said after a pause.

"Yeah, I kinda figured," Grimm Ruby said, then stepped closer and looked in Oscar's eyes. The sight of Grimm Ruby's face getting so close to his made his arms numb, but he couldn't will himself to look away.

"Ozpin?" it said. "I don't know if you can hear me from in there, but I want to set things straight. I hope you'll hear me out. I'm not with Salem. I can't stand her. I never asked to be like this; a copy, a monster, but that's not important right now. What is important…is what might happen if this war keeps going on like this. You know, more than anyone, how much of a threat Salem is to the world, but what you might not know…is that there's someone else out there that could actually be more dangerous than her, and he has his own plans for this world. Ozpin…I want to ask you about the gods!"

Oscar's lips quivered, but his eyes never wavered. At first, it wondered if he really could hear its words. After a few seconds, his eyes shined briefly, signifying Ozpin's possession of him. Grimm Ruby's eyes widened as it backed up a step, surprised that it actually got through to Ozpin.

"The gods?" Ozpin said. "The Two Brothers that created this world together?"

"Yeah. I want to know…if you trust them."

Ozpin blinked in silence. As unusual as the situation of even being saved by this sentient Grimm was, its first action upon having him alone and at its mercy is not to declare an ultimatum or threaten him, but to ask him about gods.

"And why would you ask me a question like that?" he asked politely, displaying both genuine curiosity and a feeling of distrust.

"Because it all started with them," Grimm Ruby explained. "Every terrible thing that happened to this world from Salem, the Grimm…and even your mistakes all started because they made a bet."

"A bet?" Ozpin reiterated after a brief delay.

"The whole point of Remnant…no, the whole point of the world before it became Remnant was to settle a bet between the two gods. It's basically a popularity contest between Creation and Destruction, and humanity was the test subjects."

"That's an unusually irreverent thing to say," Ozpin said, slightly annoyed. "And something that Salem herself would profess to those that would lend their ears. Tell me, if you are not really allied with Salem, then what reason do you have to say such a thing?"

"The God of Darkness told me," Grimm Ruby stated with a calm resolve that contrasted the astounding nature of its words. Once again, Ozpin grew silent for a few seconds, but his face showed even more astonishment than before.

"What?" he whispered in disbelief.

"You know how weird all this is, right?" Grimm Ruby asked, spreading its arms and claws out. "I mean, Salem once rebelled against the gods, but the God of Darkness' monsters, the Creatures of Grimm, obey her. All…but one." It emphasized its words, tapping its upper torso with its index claw. "Well, it's not some miracle that I am the way I am. As it turns out, the God of Darkness planned all this."

"He…what?"

"You really didn't know?" Grimm Ruby asked, giving Ozpin a moment to react. All he could do was let his eyes drift downward. "Okay, I'll let you in on it. On the night I left Salem's castle with the original Ruby, the God of Darkness pulled me into some weird alternate dimension while she was sleeping in a cave. He told me that I was his servant, not Salem's…and he wants me…to destroy her soul."

"T-to…" Ozpin's reaction made Oscar's whole body quiver. "_You can destroy Salem?_"

"That's what the god said, but I'm not really sure that's the whole story," Grimm Ruby said, its eyes drifting to a nearby mirror. "He said these eyes can burn a soul; even an immortal one."

"Jinn," Ozpin stuttered, "I-I asked my questions. She—"

"—said _you_ couldn't destroy her," Grimm Ruby clarified. "But there's a problem. I know why she was made immortal. I mean, I _remember_ why from Ruby's memories. The gods were the ones that made her immortal in the first place, and based on what the God of Darkness told me, he's throwing all the blame on his brother. So it got me thinking, if the God of Darkness really wants her destroyed, why doesn't he just take her immortality away himself? Why let Salem use his Grimm to do her bidding? And why choose me to enact some…divine judgment?"

"If…if what you say is true," Ozpin said, regaining his composure, "then the will of the gods aren't to be questioned. For all the stories humans shape around them, our minds simply aren't meant to truly understand them. It is possible, and this is entirely speculation on my part, that giving you this task is their way of granting humanity a reprieve; a way to help me fulfill my own task for the God of Light."

"To unite humanity," Grimm Ruby said, then added a bitter addendum, "so that the two gods can settle their bet."

"The God of Light chose to give me this task because he wants humanity to redeem themselves. Perhaps, in some way that only they can understand, the God of Darkness has chosen you with his own task. Dragging you into another dimension, as you claim, may be his way of giving you this purpose without breaking the letter of their vow never to return to this world."

"But what both gods want conflicts with each other," Grimm Ruby said. "You remember what the God of Light told Salem, right? He told her that 'life and death have a balance' and she could only rest if she understood that, but then he broke his own rules by forcing you to reincarnate over and over."

"I…I chose to accept this mission," Ozpin said weakly.

"Because you wanted to be with Salem. I remember what Jinn show us…I mean, Ruby. He warned you that Salem wasn't the person you knew anymore."

"And that finding her would only bring pain," Ozpin said, trying to withhold tears.

"Yeah," Grimm Ruby said, instantly regretting what it said. "Sorry about that. My point is that he went out of his way to ensure that Salem could never die; not even those murky pools that Grimm come out of could kill her. So why does his brother just want me to burn her soul? Why now? If I were to follow the God of Darkness' command right now, it would be like going behind his brother's back. I don't have to spell it out to you, right? What if the God of Light gets angry if Salem's soul was destroyed despite her curse? How would he act?"

"I imagine he wouldn't be pleased, but," Ozpin said, sounding unsure, "I want to believe he wouldn't blame us. He possessed enough compassion to give humanity another chance."

"You mean the kind of compassion that lets him just look away when his brother wipes out all human life?" Grimm Ruby snapped. "He didn't even protect those that didn't side with Salem in her little uprising! He just let the God of Darkness wipe everyone out! So what about him? What if I don't do what the God of Darkness wants? What if Salem _can_ learn her lesson? Would he be okay with that? Or would he be all jealous that his 'holier-than-he-is' brother was right all along and all the people go to him for their blessings and he's all jealous of his attention…just like before?"

"He…he would…" Ozpin tried to speak, but couldn't find the words.

"Ozpin," Grimm Ruby gritted its fangs. "This is the problem with taking sides between gods that could punish people with extinction…or just being unable to die at all. What happens if we take a side?"

"Then," Ozpin said, realizing the implications, "that choice might be the affront that turns brother against brother. Just as the two used this world to settle their differences eons ago, the feud between gods would begin anew."

"And this world would become the battlefield," Grimm Ruby concluded. "That's what I'm afraid of."

The two went quiet once more. For the past two days, this is the burden Grimm Ruby kept to itself, formed by the original's memories of what Jinn showed her and what the God of Darkness told to it personally. Seeing Ozpin grow so anxious made it wonder if it was even the right choice to confide in him.

"Have you told anyone else?" Ozpin asked with a quiet desperation.

"No," Grimm Ruby said with a slight delay. "You're the only one. Even Ruby doesn't know about him."

"Because the truth would destroy her hope?" Ozpin inquired, speaking as if he already knew the answer.

"You know, that's what I thought, too," Grimm Ruby said with a mirthful laugh. "But I spent two whole days with her. She won't break. She won't lose hope, no matter what. I…kind of envy that."

"So you don't have that spark? Even though you are, by hers and your own admissions, a complete copy right down to her morals?"

"I…I guess," Grimm Ruby said, glancing down at its claws. "I haven't really had much hope for the future. It's not like I lost it or anything. It's worse. It's like…I can't even comprehend what hope is anymore. No, wait…that's not it. I keep thinking I lived Ruby's life. Her memories…throw me off sometimes; makes me think I'm someone I'm not. The truth is…I don't think I ever comprehended hope in the first place. I feel… like it's missing."

"That's very peculiar, given your unique circumstances. Forgive me if I'm going off topic, but I must ask. If it's not hope that drives you, then what does?"

Grimm Ruby paused for a few seconds to contemplate the question. Everything in its mindset was identical to the original Ruby's…except this.

"Because," it clenched its claws, "I can't let this happen to anyone else."

"Let what happen?"

"Everything!" Grimm Ruby exclaimed, grasping both sides of its skull with its claws. "Beacon fell, the Grimm have attacked innocent people again and again and again…and now Atlas! Atlas is gone, too! Too many people have lost…everything! Their friends, their families, their homes, their _lives!_ I…I saw a little girl _die_ in front of me! I have this horrible power coursing through me and I still couldn't change that, and it's happening all over the world, every day!"

"So you look toward the past," Ozpin surmised, "and Ruby, the future."

"Uh…yeah," Grimm Ruby reluctantly agreed. "Maybe I am stuck in the past. I mean, all the horrible things in the past led to me being here today. I'm not even sure I know what it means to keep moving forward, but I do know that I can't let things like this happen again. That's why I had to ask you. I have to know if you really trust the gods to do what's right…because I can't! Not after everything that's happened! But if you believe, after all their choices; their mistakes, that they still have humanity's best interests at heart, I'll follow you."

"You what?" Ozpin asked in amazement.

"I don't care what the gods want! I don't care if I end up dead or cursed to live forever! I can't be some executioner against evil if the whole world ends up paying for it! I want to protect the people that can't protect themselves, like the heroes in storybooks."

"You're…just like her," Ozpin whispered.

"I'm sorry?"

"To answer your question," Ozpin said somberly, "I…don't entirely trust them."

"You don't?" Grimm Ruby's heart sank.

"I've been through…so much. I've lost so much. And it's these tragedies that molded me into the kind of man I am today," Ozpin said, pausing when he realized he's actually inhabiting the body of a young boy. "Figuratively, that is. I suppose I should just say it. I've become jaded. I can't completely trust the gods just as I can't completely trust those around me. After many years, centuries, even millennia, I've…lost my faith. And having met you face to face, I believe that I've come to understand the burden you carry."

"You do?" Grimm Ruby looked in Ozpin's eyes, and he nodded.

"You've been chosen by a god, just as I have. We carry the same unique burden, and don't wish to shackle anyone else. Even the original Ruby Rose has an entirely different burden, and her solution may not be your own. But just as I never found a solution to my own problem, I have none to offer you. I'm sorry. All I can tell you is that you shouldn't have expected a simple answer to your problem."

"Why not?"

"You have come to me in search of knowledge because you believe that will offer you direction and purpose. You assume that a clear answer will free you of your burden, but you'll find that even wisdom can only carry you so far. I know this firsthand."

"Right…I…I get it," Grimm Ruby mumbled dejectedly. It considered walking out the door at this point.

"Pardon me for changing the subject," Ozpin asked after a pause, "but do you remember the night I first met her?"

"Who? You mean Ruby?"

"Yes," Ozpin nodded.

"I do," Grimm Ruby said solemnly, glancing up at a single overhead light. It, too, was a reminder of that day.

"Then I'd like to ask you something about that meeting," Ozpin said. "What was the first thing about her that caught my notice?"

Grimm Ruby closed its eyes to recall that moment. It didn't take long for it to give an answer.

"Her silver eyes," it said, then glanced at the mirror again and saw the crimson red eyes in the reflection.

"And what manner of fruit did I use to make her feel comfortable?"

"It wasn't fruit," Grimm Ruby said with a smirk. "You gave her cookies. She…gobbled them all up while you were talking. She wasn't really listening to every word you said." It glanced down at its claws; a permanent reminder that it was built to be a weapon…without taste buds. "God, I miss cookies. And then you moved her ahead two years and let her in to Beacon, and she was sooooo excited. And the next day, her sister had all these friends that were just these black silhouettes, and she didn't know their names, and we never saw them again, and all Ruby wanted was normal knees."

The two gave a simultaneous sigh. Life was simpler back in the good old days.

"You wanna know something weird?" Grimm Ruby asked casually. "Everybody was angry at you for keeping secrets. Even Ruby was annoyed with you. And now, I'm doing it; the same exact thing even Ruby judged you for. Guess that makes me a hypocrite, huh?"

Not expecting a real answer, Grimm Ruby began to walk out the door. It was time to check on the bonfires again.

"Ruby," Ozpin said just as Grimm Ruby put its foot outside. Somehow, being called by the name of its original counterpart made time itself stop in that brief moment. "I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. I cannot give you grief if you choose to follow suit. What I can tell you, however, is that my choice to withhold important information from my allies has…well, let's just say it didn't end well and leave it at that. You and I both know firsthand."

Taking in Ozpin's words, Grimm Ruby slowly nodded. It left without another word. Whatever it chose to do, it was burdened with a daunting responsibility. It needed time to think about how it would uphold it.


End file.
